

ll 






k ) ^ 


t-^M- 


p? Tfl 


> 

• 







Cromwell and hi- Secretary, John ! 



BIOGBAPHIES 



THE HEROES OF HISTORY. 



EDITED BY THE 

EEV. FRANCIS L. HAWXS, D.D., LL.D. 







. 3 



NEW- YORK: 
JAMES S. DICKERSON, G97 BROADWAY. 

1856. 



-v* 









Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, toy 
JAMES S. DICKERSON, 

In the Clerk'3 Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Southern District of New-York. 

Dj d.'isfef 



0. C. Public Library 

JAN 2 8 1941 



JOHN A. GRAY, 

PRINTER AND STEREOTYPE?., 

95 and 97 Cliff St., N.Y. 



WITHDRAWN 






OLIYER CROMWELL 



IS 






CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Oliver Cromwell — His Birth — Boyhood — Parents — at 
School — College — Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded — Mar- 
riage — Religious Agony — becomes a Puritan — Member 
of Parliament — Dissolution of Parliament — Assassina- 
tion of Duke of Buckingham — returns Home, . . 9 

CHAPTER II. 
Removal to St. Ives — His Residence there — His Conduct 
as a Townsman — His Friendship for the Puritan Preach- 
ers — death of his Uncle, and removal^ to Ely — His 
House — Laud's Persecution of the Preachers — The Ex- 
citement in Scotland — Trial of Hampden, and his con- 
viction — The Lord of the Pens— Cromwell proposes to 
go to America — His Children — Religious Enthusiasm — 
Scotch Covenanters — elected to Parliament — The Long 
Parliament, 35 

. CHAPTER III. 

Cromwell's Personal Appearance — His Influence in the 
Long Parliament — The Triumph of the Long Parliament 
— The Success of the Popular Cause — Prospects of Civil 
"War — Milton a Champion of Freedom — Trial of Straf- 
ford — Eloquence of Digby — The Great Speech of Straf- 
ford — His Death-Warrant — His Execution — Cromwell 
again at Ely — Irish Massacre — Grand " Petition and 
Remonstrance" — The Bishops voted Guilty of Trea- 
son, 56 



Contents. 



CHAPTER IV. 

PAGE 

The King flies to Hampton Court — Preparations for Civil 
War — Civil "War begins — Cromwell bears an active part 
— Battle of Edgehill— Cromwell in the Battle — The 
King in Adversity — Cromwell's Victory of Gains- 
borough — The Royalists Victorious — Death of Hamp- 
den — Waller's Conspiracy — Battle of Newbury — Death 
of Falkland, and his Character — " Solemn League and 
Covenant" — Cromwell's Ironsides — Victory of Winceby 
— Cromwell's Energy, 81 

CHAPTER V. 

The Siege of York raised — Battle of Marston Moor — ^ 
Death of Duke of Newcastle — Essex and Cromwell at 
Loggerheads — Self-denying Ordinance — Cromwell's Ar- 
rival in Camp — Battle of Naseby — The Ascendency of 
the Independents — Their Character — Basing House — 
The King in Scotland — Death of Pym — Quarrel be- 
tween the Presbyterians and Independents — The King 
in the Hands of the Army — Harmony between Crom- 
well and the King — Cromwell's Family — The Levellers 
put down, lOt 

CHAPTER VI. 

Advocates a New Government — The Royalists encour- 
aged — Hostile Meeting — Prince Henry forgets his 
Father — The King in Hurst Castle— Pride's Purge — 
The King removed — The King hopeful — The King's 
Trial — Conviction — Sentence — Death seems inevitable 
— prepares for it — Parting — His March to the Scaffold 
— Address to the Multitude — Noble Sentiments — His 
Death — The Commonwealth established — Milton ad- 



Contents. vii 



PAGE 

vocates the Popular Cause — Trial of Royalists — The 
Pardon of some — Execution of others — Lilburn, the 
Leveller — New Troubles, 140 

CHAPTER VII. 

Cromwell's Popularity — Visit to Ireland — quells the Dis- 
turbance — His Cruelty — The Son of the King — Crom- 
well takes an Army into Scotland — Engagement at 
Dunbar — The Scotch routed — Triumphant March — 
Sickness — Surrender of Edinburgh Castle — Charles 
II. marches into England — Battle at Worcester — 
Cromwell Victorious — Charles II. a Fugitive — Crom- 
well's Success and Popularity, 113 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Cromwell treated as a King — his Family — Political Move- 
ments — Champion of Toleration — Naval Battle with 
the Dutch — Victory — Doings of Parliament— The Army 
Petition — looking towards a Monarchy — The Vices of 
Parliament — broken up by Cromwell — expels the 
Council of State — The Barebones Council — Naval Vic- 
tory — dissolution of the New Parliament — CromweL 
made Protector — Opposition of Old Friends — Royalist 
Conspiracy — Cromwell's Power — The Queen of Sweden 
a Partisan, 19*7 

CHAPTER IX. 

Courted by Monarchs — A Bold Act of Justice — First Pro- 
tectorate Parliament— Stormy Session and Summary 
Closing of the Parliament House — Accident to the Pro- 
tector—Narrow Escape— Death of his Mother— Par- 
liament reopened — Again dissolved — Popular Com- 



viii Contents. 



PAG3 

motions — Conspiracy crushed — Attempt to proclaim 
Charles II. King — Cromwell attempts to control the 
Judiciary — The Vaudois — John Milton — Religious Tol- 
eration — Interview with a Republican Opponent — Lud- 
low, 228 

CHAPTER X. 

Invasion of the Spanish Colonies — Disappointment — 
Blake's Expedition — Success — War with Spain — Par- 
liament Convened — Sir Harry Yane — Cromwell's 
Speech — Proscription — Battle before Cadiz — Victory — 
Popular Delight — Ode to Cromwell — Honors and Gifts 
— Cromwell for King — Attempts at his Assassination — 
Conspiracy — The Major-Generals — Persecution of Nay- 
lor — An Intrusive Quaker — Religious Impostors, . 254 

CHAPTER XL 

Visions of a Crown — advised not to accept it — Parlia- 
ment tenders it — declines it — Inauguration of the Pro- 
tectorship — Death of Blake — Family Alliances — ad- 
vances his Family — The New House of Peers — Opposi- 
tion — Parliament dissolved — The Royalists again — 
Their Plans — Punishments — Suspicious of Assassins — 
Homage of Kings — Alliance with France, . . .281 

CHAPTER XII. 

Visit of the French King — Death of Cromwell's Daugh- 
ter — His own Sickness — Hopes of Recovery — Reli- 
gious Exercises — Prayers for his People — Tempest 
without — Cromwell dies — His Character, . . . 315 



OHiiur Cramtodl 



CHAPTER I. 

THE greatest of England's sovereigns — Oliver 
Cromwell — needs not the borrowed lustre of 
a distinguished ancestry, to add to the glory of his 
great name. The deeds of the hero have made him 
illustrious beyond crowned heads. There is no king of 
royal descent, that Englishmen have more reason to 
be proud of, than of Cromwell. 

Oliver Cromwell was a gentleman by birth. His 
father was the son of Sir Henry Cromwell, and 
younger brother of Sir Oliver Cromwell. The 
grandfather, Sir Henry, was called the Golden Knight, 
from the sumptuous manner in which he lived, and his 
profuse hospitality. He had large possessions, which 
he had inherited from his father, who had been a 
favorite of King Henry VIII., and had shared in the 
plunder of the revenues of the Church, and the rich 
monasteries, that monarch so liberally distributed 
among his friends. This ancestor of whom we 
1* 



10 Oliver Cromwell. 

speak, was Sir Richard Cromwell, great-grandfather 
of the subject of our history. lie was zealously 
employed, in conjunction with his kinsman the Earl 
of Essex, Wolsey's friend, the Cromwell of Shak- 
speare, in suppressing the monasteries during the re- 
formation in England under the reign of Henry VIII. 
He came in for a large share of the spoils, and thus 
became possessed of estates in the county of Hunt- 
ingdon, which he bequeathed to his son. The Con- 
vent of Hinchinbrooke, with its broad lands, was a 
portion of this inheritance, and was selected by Sir 
Henry Cromwell, the grandfather of Oliver, as his 
residence. The old convent was accordingly remo- 
delled and fitted up in the style of the great country 
mansions of those days. It was here that Queen 
Elizabeth was entertained by Sir Henry ; and King 
James, on his accession to the English crown, by his 
son, Sir Oliver. The hospitality displayed on the 
latter occasion, was profuse beyond example. The 
gates of Hinchinbrooke were thrown wide open, and 
all were free to partake of the hospitality, with 
which the visit of King James was welcomed. To 
each guest were served the choicest viands and the 
most costly wines, while the common people had free 
access to the kitchens and cellars. The king 
exclaimed in his broad Scotch to his generous host : 
" Morry, man, thou hast treated me better than any 
one since I left Edinburgh." The entertainment was 
said to have been the greatest feast that had ever 



Boyhood. 1 1 

been given to a king by a subject. The generous 
host on the departure of his royal guest, bestowed 
upon him a large, elegant wrought standing cup of 
gold, deep-mouthed hounds, and divers hawks of 
excellent wing ; while among the king's attendants he 
distributed fifty pounds, a generous sum in those 
days. King James showed his gratitude by con- 
ferring upon the liberal Sir Oliver Cromwell, the 
title of Knight of the Bath, and honoring him with a 
second visit. 

On one of these royal occasions, when the future 
Protector was a lad, he was a visitor at his uncle's 
home, and shared in the festivities. Prince Charles, 
afterward King Charles I., accompanied his father 
on his visit to Hinchinbrooke ; and as the royal 
child and young Oliver Cromwell were about the 
same age, they soon became familiar as children will, 
and joined heartily together in boyish riot and amuse- 
ment. The life of childhood is like the youth of the 
year, alternate storm and sunshine, and the two boys 
varied their bright moments of innocent happiness 
with an occasional quarrel. It is recorded, that the 
playfellows on one occasion came to blows ; and as 
the young prince was puny, and the little Oliver 
sturdy, the royal child was so far worsted in the battle, 
that he came off with a bloody nose. The future 
regicide thus early stained his hands with the royal 
blood, and in the rude triumph of the boy Oliver, 
and in the defeat of the prince, there seemed a pre- 



% 
12 Oliver Cromwell. 

sage of the fate, which bound together the king and 
Cromwell as victim and executioner. 

These royal visits to Hinchinbrooke, which the 
loyal uncle Sir Oliver so sumptuously welcomed, 
drew so largely upon his purse, and made such inroads 
upon his fortune, that he was forced to curtail his 
expenses. He could no longer dispense that hospi- 
tality and prodigious entertainment of which old 
Fuller speaks, to King James and his court. Unable 
to open wide the doors of his mansion, for the wel- 
come of princes, he closed them upon himself for 
ever, and settled the long arrears of debt incurred by 
his prodigal hospitality, by the sale of Hinchinbrooke. 
The old house still stands, a stately mansion, in 
the possession of Lord Sandwich, who is a descend- 
ant of the Sir Sidney Montague, who purchased it 
of Sir Oliver. The pious reverence of the English 
for tradition has persuaded even Time to mercy, and 
the hand of the destroyer has been gentle with the 
ancient hall of the Cromwells. The visitor may at 
this day behold old Hinchinbrooke in all its former 
stateliness. It is beautifully situated on the river 
O use, within a half mile or so of Huntingdon. Exten- 
sive parks, shaded with ancient .oaks, surround it, and 
rich, deep green lawns stretch down from its embower- 
ed porches and great bow-windows. The dining-hall in 
4&hich the royal guests were entertained, remains as 
in the time of Sir Oliver, with the exception of the 
bow-window, which is described as prodigious, cun- 



Father and Uncle. 13 

ningly sculptured in stone with lions, eagles, roses, 
and fleurs de lis, finely adorned with royal and noble 
blazonry of rich and varied color, and supported by 
arches and seven stone pillars. The change is in one 
of the compartments of this window, where, by the 
right of possession, the Montague blazonry has ousted 
that of the Cromwells. Some old portraits of the 
Cromwell family still hang upon the walls of the 
ancient mansion. 

The grandfather and uncle of Oliver Cromwell 
were evidently men of mark. Both were sheriffs 
of the county and members of Parliament. Both 
earned the friendship of their sovereigns by the 
staunchest loyalty. The uncle Sir Oliver, took sides 
with King Charles in the civil war. He contributed 
large sums of money, raised a troop at his own 
expense, and pledged his sons to the royal cause, who 
took up arms in defense of the king. His nephew 
when high in command in the republican army, paid 
Sir Oliver a visit, and although he did not forget the 
outward respect due to his kinsman, but refusing to 
remain covered in his presence, asked the blessing of 
the old gentleman, he was not unmindful of his pub- 
lic duty, and did not leave him until he had disarmed 
the inveterate royalist, and seized all his plate for the 
service of the Commonwealth. This was not the 
only time that the loyal uncle was made to contri- 
bute by the republican nephew to a cause he de- 
spised. Sir Oliver on another occasion was forced to 



14 Oliver Cromweh. 

supply forty saddle-horses for the seats of the 
Puritan cavalry. 

The father of Oliver Cromwell was Robert, the 
second son of Sir Henry, and brother of Sir Oliver 
of Hinchinbrooke. Being a younger son, he had but 
a humble portion of the paternal estate, the bulk by 
the right of primogeniture having devolved upon the 
knight Sir Oliver, who so prodigally entertained 
kings. By the will of his father, Robert Cromwell 
came into possession of a house in the town of Hunt- 
ingdon, and of land in the neighborhood, which was 
valued at three hundred pounds a year. Those roy- 
alist writers who have been anxious to throw con- 
tempt upon the origin* of the great Cromwell, have 
stated that his father was a brewer ; but it appears 
without truth. Even if it were a fact, to us who 
believe an honorable business, however humble, 
honorably conducted, is worthy of the best of men, 
the attempt to injure the memory of the hero seems 
as contemptible as the statement upon which it is 
based is proved to be false. Robert Cromwell was 
a country squire, and cultivated his own freehold 
estate, which was of no small extent for those early 
days. That he was a man of mark and likelihood 
among the neighboring gentry is proved by the fact, 
that he served as a magistrate, the sheriff of the 
county, and member of Parliament, and was named 
as one of the commissioners for draining the fens of 
the counties of Northampton, Lincoln, Huntingdon, 



His Mother. 15 

and Cambridge. He lived for the most part the 
simple life of a country gentleman, and worthily ful- 
filled the duties of his unobtrusive vocation. 

His wife was a daughter of Sir Richard Stuart of 
Ely, whose descent from the royal family of Scot- 
land has been elaborately traced by the industry of 
some eager genealogists. So in the execution of King 
Charles, Oliver Cromwell may have spilled the blood 
of a kinsman. There is a portrait of this lady in 
Hinchinbrooke House, which represents her in the 
middle age of life, with a handsome though thought- 
ful and slightly sad face. Her mouth is full and 
expressive of impulse. Her hair is of a flaxen 
color. Her costume is rich with pearls, golden lace, 
purple velvet, and glistening satin. She was a loving 
woman, and deeply attached to her children, of whom 
Oliver was the favorite, and whom she watched 
throughout his stormy career with a jealous care. 
She trembled hourly for his life, and never thought 
him safe, when out of her sight. Every report of 
a gun she heard, seemed to echo the death of her 
beloved Oliver, and she would exclaim, " My son is 
shot." She lived to behold him, as Protector of Eng- 
land, the greatest among the great potentates of the 
earth, and on her death she was buried with royal 
splendor in that tomb of kings, Westminister Abbey. 

Oliver Cromwell, the Protector of England, was 
born at Huntingdon, on the 25th of April, in the year 
|599. He was the only son of the seven children 



16 Oliver Cromwell. 

of his father, who arrived at maturity. The house 
where he was born still exists, though several times 
remodelled since that period. It is situated at tho 
northern extremity of the main street, which com- 
poses the principal part of Huntingdon. This town 
is placed on the left bank of the river Ouse, over which 
a stone bridge stretches, leading to the ancient vil- 
lage of Godmanchester. Two old churches, a range 
of miscellaneous shops, and a few scattered houses 
of a better sort, compose the whole of Huntingdon. 
The district is mostly a marsh, called by the English 
people a fen. There is, however, a stretch of rolling 
upland, varied with the shade of old trees of 
vigorous growth, where the farm of Robert Crom- 
well was situated, and which he cultivated with a 
good return of hay harvesting, and well-fed beeves. 
Oliver was born here in the bosom of plenty, but 
with a prospect of nature certainly not the most 
enlivening, as his eye wandered through an atmo- 
sphere thick with dank vapor over a dull landscape 
with a dead level of black marsh, scarcely varied 
with meagre alders and weeping willows. 

Some of the biographers of our hero have given a 
sad account of his early life. They speak of him as 
the terror of the neighborhood, on account of his 
roguery, and denounce him as a pitiless freebooter 
ere he was fairly out of petticoats. He was 
no doubt a boisterous, mischievous lad, and might 
possibly have had upon Ms conscience the sins of 






At School 17 

bird-nesting and orchard-trespassing. At an early 
age he was placed, to learn the elements, under a 
clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Long, from whose gentle 
guidance he was soon transferred to the severer dis- 
cipline of the ferule of a Doctor Beard, who was mas- 
ter of the free grammar school of Huntingdon. The 
doctor we doubt not, had full occasion for the exer- 
cise of his magisterial authority, for Oliver was 
spirited and always antagonistic to power. He was 
irregular at this period in pursuit of learning. He 
made at times spasmodic efforts of study alternating 
with long periods of indifference. He was certainly 
never lazy, though not always studious ; and if not 
busy at his books, we can conceive him very diligent 
in mischief.- He would play truant oftentimes in 
spite of Dr. Beard and his fatal ferula, and forget 
them both while climbing the tall oaks for birds' nests, 
or conspiring against the neighbors' orchards, or, with 
gun on shoulder, wading knee-deep through the 
marshes in pursuit of wild duck. Whatever may 
have been the irregular tendencies of the youthful 
Cromwell, there was the restraining influence of the 
best of homes, to keep him in the path of virtue. 
His father's severe rectitude, his mother's anxious 
care, and the gentle companionship of his seven sis- 
ters, surrounded the youth with all the domestic 
virtues. Severity was tempered by affection, and 
good advice confirmed by excellent example. Young 
Oliver, thus benignly brought up, could not fail 



18 Oliver Cromwell. 

to love religion and virtue and strive to ensure 
them. 

The influence of the graces of life, which crowned 
the more aristocratic home of his uncle, could not 
have been without its effect upon young Oliver, who 
was a frequent visitor at Hinchinbrooke. His uncle 
always warmly welcomed him, and felt so far an 
interest in his breeding, as to have him taught with 
his own sons, the polite accomplishments of music 
and dancing. There was no danger of Oliver's sturdy 
nature being frittered away by dalliance with the 
luxurious trifles of life, but we have no doubt its 
rudeness was tempered by the refining influence of 
his uncle's aristocratic household. 

Oliver thus passed his youth until he had reached 
the age of seventeen, when he was sent to the Univer- 
sity of Cambridge. Cambridge is only twelve miles 
from Huntingdon, and was a half-day's journey in 
those times. Young Cromwell, accompanied by his 
father, rode to the University and matriculated at 
Sydney-Sussex College, on the 23d April, the very 
day " that William Shakspeare was taking his fare- 
well of this world. Oliver's father saw Oliver write 
in the album at Cambridge : at Stratford, Shak- 
speare's Ann Hathaway was weeping over his bed."* 

There are various accounts of Oliver's career at 
Cambridge, where he spent but a single year. Some 

* Carlyle. 



At College. 19 

tell us that his genius was unfitted for the calm and 
elegant occupations of learning, and that he conse- 
quently made small proficiency in his studies;* 
others declare that he gave way to a disorderly course 
of life, and was more famous for foot-ball, cricket, 
cudgelling, and wrestling, than for study, and being of 
a rough and blustering disposition, he acquired the 
name of roysterer.f We are sure he showed no lack 
of spirit in the play-ground ; and it is not improba- 
ble that a lad of seventeen, warm, impulsive, and 
with an inexhaustible stock of animal spirits, was not 
free from the vices of youth. He, however, undoubt- 
edly made fair progress in his studies ; for though he 
knew but little Greek, he succeeded in packing away 
in his hard head such a store of Latin, that he was 
able, many years after, to converse in that language. 
His tutor was a Master Eichard Howlet, a grave, 
indefatigable disciplinarian of youth, and we may be 
sure that he kept his pupil close to his duties. 

The premature death of his father put an abrupt 
end to his college studies, and Oliver, being the only 
son, was summoned home, as the head of his house. 
He did not long remain at Huntingdon, but proceed- 
ed to London to acquire some insight into life, and 
fit himself by studying law for the duties that might 
reasonably be expected to devolve upon him as a 
country gentleman and prospective magistrate of the 
county. 

* Hume. f Dugclale. 



20 Oliver Cromwell 

According to the evil-disposed chroniclers, young 
Cromwell's career in London was not of the most 
seemly kind. Instead of poring over Coke upon Lyt- 
tleton in the chambers of the lawyers, he passed his 
days and nights in dissolute company, at the taverns, 
brothels, and gaming-houses, polluting his heart and 
wasting his vigor and substance in play, riot, and de- 
bauch. The two or three years passed by Cromwell 
in London, between the early age of eighteen and 
twenty-one, were at a period of life, when the youth- 
ful passions are the strongest, and the judgment the 
most feeble ; and it is probable that young Oliver 
was not totally free from the vices of the young. His 
future course, however, proves that his youth was not 
so far corrupted, as to blight the promise of a great 
life. 

While in London, it is certain that the youthful 
Cromwell sought in the society of the virtuous, bet- 
ter influences than could be found at the tavern. 
Among his city acquaintances was a certain Sir 
James Bourchier, a knight of considerable civic dig- 
nity, who took high rank among the merchants of 
the capital, and had acquired a fair fortune by deal- 
ing in furs and peltries. This worthy burgher had a 
town-house in London, and a country residence and 
estate near Felsted in Essex. Oliver was probably 
a frequent Visitor at the citizen Bourchier s house in 
London, which offered, among its other attractions, 
the society of the knight's daughters, on# of whom, 



Sir Raleigh Beheaded. 21 

Elizabeth, was no doubt courted perseveringly at this 
time by young Cromwell, as she became soon after 
the bride of the future Protector of England. 

On the 29th October, in the year 1618, Sir Walter 
Raleigh was beheaded ; and as Cromwell was at Lon- 
don at this time, he was probably a spectator of this 
cruel exhibition of regal tyranny.* Oliver, young as 
he was, must have been familiar with the glorious 
life of this hero. His heart had surely glowed with 
that of all England at the story of Raleigh's noble 
career, his devoted service to the crown, his gallant 
triumphs over the enemies of Britain, and his bold ad- 
ventures in the New World. He had heard of the 
courtly bearing and beauty of Sir Walter in his 
youth. He was not unconscious of the fame of the 
brave warrior, the adventurous traveller, the capa- 
cious statesman, and the learned scholar. He now 
beheld the aged hero walk erect and unappalled 
among a crowd of shuddering spectators, and place 
his gray head, without a tremor, upon the block, 
where his life was sacrificed to tyranny. This bloody 
act of King James must have aroused every free, 
manly heart to thoughts of vengeance, and the young 
Cromwell surely burned to vindicate the rights of his 
fellow-men, as he beheld this bloody scene in the 
drama of the tyrannical Stuarts. We may rest as- 
sured that royal prerogative, which it was Cromwell's 

* Carlyle. 



22 Oliver Cromwelt. 

destiny so awfully to rebuke, did not arise in his 
esteem by this exhibition of its cruel exercise. 

Oliver, now approaching his one-and-twentieth 
year, returned to Huntingdon, accomplished by his 
residence in London, if we may believe his enemies, 
in all the wicked ways of the world. If true that he 
returned to his quiet home, a perfected rake, and 
startled the peaceful virtues of the good people of 
Huntingdon by his boisterous excesses, it is quite 
certain that his career of debauchery was a short one. 
Heath, the most inveterate, of his biographical ene- 
mies, asserts that he was reduced by the ill savor of 
his character, to take up with tinkers and peddlers for 
his boon companions, and that even the gates of his 
favorite resorts, the taverns, were closed in his face, 
for the innkeepers would say : " Here comes young 
Cromwell ; shut up your doors." The publicans 
only received broken windows and hard knocks from 
his quarter-staff, which he wielded with all the vigor 
of Friar Tuck, as a settlement in full of the scores 
against Oliver, for his copious supplies of English ale 
and Sherris sack. 

Notwithstanding this doleful record of vicious 
youth, we find Cromwell in London again, and in the 
respectable attitude of a bridegroom, at the altar of 
St. Giles Church at Cripplegate, pledging his troth for 
better or worse to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James 
Bourchier. This was on the 22d of August in the 
year 1620. Oliver was now a married man, at the 



Marriage. 23 

early age of one-and-twenty. From London, he re- 
turned to his home at. Huntingdon, and installed his 
bride in the family mansion, where his mother con- 
tinued to live, and those of his sisters who remained 
single. 

By his wife, young Cromwell obtained a handsome 
dower for those days, which was an acceptable addi- 
tion to the paternal estate, which had been somewhat 
diminished by youthful extravagance. The wife was 
no beauty, if we may judge from her portrait, which 
has certainly not been traced by a flattering limner.. 
Her features are vigorous, the nose especially promi- 
nent, the mouth large, the eyes small, with one dis- 
torted by a cast in it, and the cheeks full and pendu- 
lous at the base. The costume of the picture is not 
calculated to make amends for want of natural 
charms. A close-fitting, black hood, showing some 
scattered hairs at the top of the forehead, tied under 
the chin, and bulging out at the sides of the face, with 
a straight-cut, Quaker-like cape, stiffly choking, the 
bust tight to the neck, give a very dapper look to the 
portrait. There is, however, a staid; common-sense 
air in the whole expression which shows that kind of 
appearance which claims to be handsome on the score 
of handsome doing. We can well believe, as we are 
told, that she was a virtuous and good woman, an ex- 
cellent housewife, and as capable of descending to the 
kitchen with propriety, as she was of acting in an ex- 
alted station with dignity. 



24 Oliver Cromwell. 

Cromwell now settled in Huntingdon as a simple 
country gentleman, farming his own estate, and ful- 
filling the restricted public duties, which claimed the 
service of an English squire in those days. What- 
ever may have been his former carelessness and indif- 
ference, Cromwell now led a well-ordered life. He 
industriously improved his property, carefully hus- 
banded his revenue, consoled his mother, loved his 
wife, and fondly cherished his young children at 
home, while abroad he was an example to the whole 
neighborhood for uprightness. He was even noted 
in those days, for his religious orthodoxy ; and the 
family pew in the parish church, on Sundays, feast- 
days, and fast-days, was becomingly honored by the 
decent conformity of the young squire. 

About this time there were rumors of the lunacy 
of his maternal uncle, Sir Thomas Stewart, and Crom- 
well, in conjunction with other relatives, busied him- 
self in efforts to obtain a commission to inquire into 
his uncle's capacity to govern his own affairs. This 
commission was denied, and Oliver has been in con- 
sequence charged with an intemperate haste to pos- 
sess himself of his relative's estate ; but the fact that 
his uncle dying not long after, and leaving the bulk 
of his property to his nephew, seems to disprove the 
charge. By this inheritance Cromwell's annual in- 
come was increased by the handsome amount of five 
hundred pounds. 

Cromwell was naturally of a sombre temperament. 



Religious Agony. 25 

and it is not surprising that a great soul like his, re- 
stricted within the narrow limits of a simple country 
life, should react and disquiet itself with agonizing 
torments. To the influence of an unquiet spirit with- 
out a strong purpose to direct its activity, was now 
added a newly-awakened sense of religious duty in 
its severest form. The asceticism of Calvinistic doc- 
trine took a strong hold upon the sombre imagina- 
tion of Cromwell. With the fearful belief that man- 
kind were preordained by God for eternal happiness 
or everlasting damnation, a struggle of terrible agony 
agitated his soul, which was to decide the victory for 
life or death, hell or heaven. During this period of 
agony, his mind was clouded with dark thoughts and 
sad forebodings. His body sympathized, and his 
health suffered to such an extent that he became 
nervous and hypochondriacal, and he would send for 
his physician frequently at midnight and other unrea- 
sonable hours, believing that his last hour had ap- 
proached. He was sorely troubled during these dark 
moments, about the Church and its remnants of Po- 
pery, and especially uneasy in regard to the cross, 
which pointed to heaven, from the steeple of the par- 
Jsh church of Huntingdon. Cromwell, however, soon 
ceased to doubt and despond, finding a relief to his 
misery in the comforting belief that he was of the 
elect and chosen of God. He became in fact a reli- 
gious man, and strictly conformed to the rigid doc- 
trine of Calvinism. This conversion is the key to all 
2 



2(5 Oliver Cromwell. 

the future conduct of the great Puritan leader. The 
popular feeling of the country was strongly Protest- 
ant, and found, in the uncompromising hostility of 
Puritanism to Popery and its suspected kindred, a 
strong arm to wield in the destruction of Romanism 
and prelacy. Cromwell, in his retirement at Hunt- 
ingdon, felt the electrical effect of this religious en- 
thusiasm, which was stirring the hearts, and stimu- 
lating the vigor of all England into action, and from 
the shock of which the kingdom was to be convulsed 
with the agonies of civil war, the throne overturned, 
and royalty prostrated. 

The rejoicing with which the failure of King James's 
policy of uniting Prince Charles with the daughter of 
the King of Spain, was received throughout Great 
Britain, showed the popular aversion to all alliance 
with Popery. On the return of Prince Charles with- 
out the Spanish infanta, all England rung with a loud 
voice of joy. From London, throughout the wide 
extent of the kingdom, the bells of every church 
chimed a merry peal, bonfires were lighted, houses 
illuminated, and the people of England signified by 
every demonstration, their delight at the happy de- 
livery from a union between the English and Spanish 
crowns. Such an alliance was deemed by the Pro- 
testant sentiment of England as rank idolatry. 

At the meeting of Parliament, the issue of the 
Spanish intrigue was acknowledged with great satis- 
faction, and a war with Spain was welcomed with de- 



Becomes a Puritan. 27 

light, in exchange for a hated alliance. Protestantism 
was the great cause within and without Parliament, 
and its triumph was dearer to the religious heart of 
England, than all earthly glories. Cromwell entered 
with the full enthusiasm of his ardent nature, into 
these great questions which were agitating the con- 
science of his country, and became a warm advocate 
of the cause of the Puritans. Many of his friends 
and the most devoted of his relatives, among whom 
was his celebrated cousin, John Hampden, being 
deeply imbued with the Puritan spirit, confirmed 
Cromwell in opinions which were so much in con- 
formity with his religious convictions. He now 
openly consorted with those of the Puritan party, and 
abandoning for ever the family pew in the parish 
church, attended, with zealous regularity, the preach- 
ings of their clergy. The Puritan ministers and lec- 
turers were supported by the contributions of their 
followers, among whom were now some of the 
wealthiest and most influential men in England. 
Cromwell was among the most determined support- 
ers of these irregular preachers, and not only aided 
them with his money and his influence, but never lost 
an opportunity of listening in devout sympathy to 
their spiritual harangues. Whenever the unsurpliced 
minister held forth at the street-corners of Hunting- 
don on market-days or Sunday afternoons, the Puri- 
tanical squire was among the most eager of the 
gathering crowd of devotees. So sreat a friend 



28 Oliver Cromwell 

indeed had he become of the new apostles, that he 
fitted up a chapel in his own house, for the express 
use of his spiritual friends, where they might preach 
to the full extent of their untiring energies, without 
fear of interruption from the enemy, or of an abrupt 
close, by a change of weather, to a protracted exhorta- 
tion. 

Cromwell, now twenty-nine years, was chosen 
member of Parliament for Huntingdon, to represent 
doubtless the Puritan interest, of which he was known 
to be a resolute and sincere friend. This was in the 
year 1628. Charles was now King, and had sum- 
moned Parliament to consider the state of the king- 
dom in its troubled relations abroad and at home. 
The two preceding Parliaments had been summarily 
dissolved by the King, in consequence of a demand 
for relief from various political and religious griev- 
ances, as the condition of a grant of supplies. The 
present Parliament, like the previous one, was a scene 
of agitation in consequence of the continued quarrel 
of the King and the Commons. A remonstrance 
against Charles's favorite, the Duke of Buckingham, 
was debated with great warmth, and finally carried. 
The petition of right, which defined the prerogative 
of the King and the right of the subject, was passed, 
and the royal seal compulsorily attached — a triumph 
of liberty, which was hailed with great joy through- 
out the kingdom. The power of levying duties 
claimed by the King, according to what was termed 



First Parliamentary Speech. 29 

"Tonnage and Poundage," had been perseveringly 
exercised, in spite of Parliamentary resistance, and 
was now denounced and protested against by a so- 
lemn vote. 

Cromwell's voice was first heard in the House of 
Commons during this session. The House had re- 
solved itself into a committee of the whole on the 
question of the religious condition of the kingdom, 
when the member from Huntingdon arose and said : 
" He had heard by relation from one Dr. Beard, that 
Dr. Alabaster had preached flat Popery at St. Paul's 
Cross ; and that the Bishop of Winchester had com- 
manded him, as his diocesan, he should preach no- 
thing to the contrary. Main waring, so justly cen- 
sured in this house for his sermons, was by the same 
Bishop's means preferred to a rich living. If these 
are the steps to Church preferment, luhat are we to 
expect?" Such were the memorable first words in 
Parliament of Oliver Cromwell, and they make clear 
the interest to which he was devoted head and heart. 
To root out every remnant of Popery, was the pur- 
pose of the Puritan enthusiast. 

The religious question continued to be debated 
under great excitement. A remonstrance directed 
against the Popish tendencies of the prelates Neile 
and Laud having been proposed, the King interfered. 
The Speaker Finch, a devoted friend of royalty, re- 
fused to put the question, saying that he was so or- 
dered. An adjournment for two days ensued, and 



30 Oliver Cromwell. 

on reassembling, Finch still obstinately refused to 
put the question, declaring that he had the order of 
the King to adjourn instantly. Entreaties, threats, 
and rebukes were all in vain. He persisted earnestly, 
even to tears, in his resolution, and arose to leave 
the house, when certain of the members seized him 
and held him in his chair. A great tumult ensued 
in consequence. The royal party cried out: "Let 
him go, let Mr. Speaker go I" " No ! God's wounds, 
he shall sit there till it please the House to rise !" 
resolutely answered young Denzil Holies, (the second 
son of Earl of Clare,) who held the Speaker fast to 
the chair, with his vigorous grasp. The doors were 
now closed, and the House proceeded to pass some 
determined resolutions against Arminianism, (the 
Higher Churchism of those days,) Popery, and the 
King's pretended claim to the Tonnage and Pound- 
age duties. Having thus resolutely fulfilled their pub- 
lic duty, in spite of the King's messengers and the 
soldiery who were thronging about the entrance, and 
urgently pressing against the closed doors, to gain an 
entrance, in order to intimidate and force the repre- 
sentatives to submission to the King's will, the House 
of Commons adjourned. Soon after, a royal procla- 
mation was issued, dissolving Parliament, and visit- 
ing with royal censure its bold and independent mem- 
bers. 

While Parliament was in session, a great excite- 
ment was created throughout England by the assas- 



Assassination of Duke of Buckingham. 31 

sination of the Duke of Buckingham. The Duke had 
proceeded to Portsmouth, where a large army and 
fleet awaited his arrival, ready to relieve Eochelle, 
and strike a blow for the honor of England, which 
had been tarnished by the cowardly conduct of the 
Earl of Denbigh, a brother-in-law of the Duke, who 
had ingloriously fled from before the enemy. Felton, 
a lieutenant in the army, who had served under 
Buckingham, having been disappointed in his hopes 
of promotion, retired from the army in disgust. 
Partly influenced by personal feeling, as well as 
sharing in the popular hatred against the royal 
favorite who had made himself universally obnox- 
ious by his encroachments upon English freedom as 
minister of King Charles, Felton had worked him- 
self up to a degree of excitement bordering upon 
insanity. He deluded himself with the idea that he 
would be doing good service by ridding England of 
the hated Buckingham — the foe alike to religion and 
liberty. Felton accordingly followed the Duke to 
Portsmouth. Buckingham had been engaged in a 
friendly though warm conversation with some 
French gentlemen, and was in the passage on his 
way out, when, turning to speak to a companion, a 
Sir Thomas Fryar, an officer in the army, he was 
stabbed in the breast with a knife. He exclaimed, 
The villain has stabbed me, and drawing out the 
weapon, died instantly. In the confusion, the assas- 
sin had escaped ; and as no one had recognized him, 



32 Oliver Cromwell. 

or seen the blow given, it was not unnatural to sup- 
pose the French gentlemen guilty, whose warm dis- 
cussion with the Duke seemed to give color to the 
charge. They would have been put to death on the 
instant, had not some of the more discreet proposed 
that they should be reserved for trial. 

At the door a hat was found, which contained a bit 
of paper, upon which was written an extract from 
the parliamentary remonstrance, which denounced 
the Duke as an enemy of England. It was con- 
cluded that the hat must belong to the assassin, 
whoever he might be. A man was now observed 
walking leisurely in the street, with his head bare. 
A cry was raised, There is the murderer; and to some 
asking Wliicli is he ? Felton, for he was the man, re- 
plied, I am he. The crowd rushed upon him, and 
would have killed him on the spot, to which he made 
no resistance, had not some officers saved him for 
justice. On examination, Eelton did not deny his 
act ; and being asked his motive, referred to the 
writing in his hat, which he had thrown off that, in 
case of his own anticipated death by the vengeance 
of the crowd, it might remain as a record of his pur- 
pose. Felton was tried, found guilty, and sentenced 
to death. He stretched out, in repentance for his 
crime, his right arm, and begged that it might be 
struck off in expiation. This was denied him, and 
he was hung at Tyburn. England grieved not the 



Cromwell at Home. 33 

death of Buckingham, although there were none to 
justify the crime of his assassination. 

On the dissolution of Parliament, Cromwell re- 
turned to Huntingdon. Here he remained in the 
quiet enjoyment of his country home, not insensible, 
however, to the mutterings of the coming storm, 
which were heard throughout the land. King 
Charles's long suspense in summoning a Parliament ; 
his high-handed exercise of the royal prerogative ; 
the imposition of ship-money — an arbitrary tax, un- 
authorized by Parliament, the pretended purpose of 
which was to raise money for fitting out a fleet ; the 
various obstructions to the freedom of trade by the 
sale of monopolies ; Archbishop Laud's ecclesiastical 
tyranny, his interference with the liberty of religious 
opinion, his persecution of the Presbyterian preachers 
and lecturers, and his pertinacious enforcement of 
the ceremonials of the Church, such as the construc- 
tion of altars at an especial point of the compass, the 
wearing of surplices, and the precise celebration of 
the holy fasts and feasts were occurrences deeply 
moving the opinion of England, and which the 
thoughtful Cromwell pondered in his retirement. 
His public duties were limited to serving as a 
justice of the peace, to which he was appointed in 
1630, in conjunction with his old schoolmaster, Dr. 
Beard, and Robert Barnard. 

Cromwell, after a residence of ten years at Hunt- 
ingdon since his marriage, resolved upon removing 



34 Oliver Cromwell. 

to St. Ives, a small town in the same county, about 
five miles east of Huntingdon. He accordingly dis- 
posed of some of his property at the latter place, 
where his mother continued to reside, and took a 
grazing farm, which he stocked with the prodfeeds of 
his sale, which amounted to the handsome sum of 
one thousand eight hundred pounds. 



CHAPTER II. 

CROMWELL'S removal to St. Ives was partly 
influenced by his restless disposition, which 
sought a larger sphere for its active energies, but 
mostly by the desire of adding to his revenue, which 
the increase of his family made desirable. He had 
now seven children, and being only thirty-one years 
of age, there seemed a prospect of his sons and 
daughters rivalling in number those of the patriarchs. 
Cromwell's family, in the course of time, reached, in 
fact, the extent of nine — five sons and four daugh- 
ters — three of the former of whom and all the latter 
arrived at maturity. 

There is a house in St. Ives called Slepe Hall, 
which is pointed out as the former residence of 
Cromwell. It is the most imposing mansion in the 
place ; and a room in the lower story of it is claimed 
to have been the private chapel where Cromwell, 
with his friends, listened in secret to the pious ex 
hortations of the Puritan lecturers, and even took his 
turn himself in edifying the brethren with a sermon. 
Whether this, was Cromwell's house or not, it is cer- 
tain that he farmed the lands belonging to the estate 



36 Oliver Cromwell. 

of Slepe Hall. The farm which he cultivated was a 
tract of low, marshy land, through which the Ouse 
moves in a dark, languid stream, and saturates, by 
its oozings, the spongy earth. Fertile fields have 
been recovered by indefatigable draining ; and such 
may be seen now, as of old, rejoicing with herds of 
fat cattle, and a goodly promise of hay-harvesting, 
separated by green hedges of a confused growth of 
willows, alders, and tangled bushes. An old barn, 
still in use, exists in the neighborhood of these fields, 
which goes by the name of Cromwell's Barn. The 
farm lies on the outskirts of St. Ives. This town is 
of small extent, and has probably not much changed 
since the days when Cromwell was a farmer in the 
neighborhood, and sold his cattle or his loads of hay 
in its market-place. It is built on the banks of the 
river Ouse, and is composed of a main street, with a 
row of humble houses, of rather a dingy aspect, on 
either side. It is an unpretending country-town, 
very quiet and dull, except on market-days, when it 
is full of business, being, as in Cromwell's time, a 
famous cattle-mart. At one extremity of the place 
stands the church, the steeple of which, in conse- 
quence of the level country, may be seen for many 
miles around ; at the opposite end is the farm once 
occupied by Cromwell. The river Ouse, in its dark 
and tortuous course, flows by the churchyard wall, 
and passing by the town, spreads into the level 
country, and turns the neighborhood into a wide 



Residence at St. Ives. 37 

stretch of marsh and bog.* The whole aspect of the 
landscape is cheerless and discouraging to the mere 
seeker after the picturesque; but to the knowing 
eye of the farmer there is a substantial prospect of 
fatness in the land, which will compensate for the 
want of rural beauty. If Cromwell had idly mourned, 
he would have found no relief for his melancholy in 
the dull scene ; but as he chose the wiser plan of 
seeking distraction for his sad heart in work, he must 
have found in the culture of his fields at St. Ives all 
the motives for, and rewards of labor. 

Cromwell resided at St. Ives about five years, 
mostly engaged in fattening cattle for the market, 
and in the other occupations belonging to a grazing 
farm. There is every reason to believe that he met 
with fair success in his agricultural enterprise ; that 
his beeves brought the highest price ; and that there 
was no farmer of better repute in the whole country 
round than Cromwell, notwithstanding so much of 
his time was spent with his servants in prayer, f 
While at St. Ives, our devout Puritan had enough 
reverence for the established religion to induce him 
to show himself at the parish church ; for it has been 
handed down by a traditionary sexton that Cromwell 
usually attended divine service, and generally came 
with a piece of red flannel round his neck, as he was 
subject to an inflammation in his throat. The records 

* Carlyle. t Noble. 



38 Oliver Cromwell. 

of St. Ives show that Cromwell took the part of a 
prominent townsman in the affairs of the parish. 
His name appears in the register attached to certain 
proceedings which resulted in the election of over- 
seers of the streets and highways. It is suspected 
that the parson of the parish and Cromwell were not 
on the best of terms. A hard-headed, contumacious 
Puritan was not likely to be very lamb-like, and to fall 
in readily with the flock of a regular pastor. A cer- 
tain Eeverend Henry Downett was the vicar of St. 
Ives while Cromwell lived there ; and some years 
afterward, when the latter had left, this divine was 
deprived of his living for having refused to allow a 
Puritan lecturer to hold forth. Cromwell, who was 
at this time one of the committee of religion ap- 
pointed by Parliament, to which such cases were 
submitted, never lifted a finger to save the old par- 
son, but was probably the cause of his condemnation, 
in consequence of former differences, which appeared, 
doubtlessly, very good evidence to the conscientious 
Puritan of the unfitness of the vicar of St. Ives, and 
the best of reasons for his ejectment. In an old 
letter, dated St. Ives, 1635, the earliest one of those 
he wtote now extant, addressed to his " loving 
friend, Mr. Storie, at the sign of the Dog in the 
Royal Exchange, London," Cromwell reveals his 
pious fervor, and devotion to the cause of Puritanism 
in a manner very characteristic of the religious en- 
thusiast. "Amongst the catalogue of those good 



His Friendship for the Preachers. 39 

works," begins the letter, " which your fellow-citi- 
zens and our countrymen have done, this will not be 
reckoned for the least, that they have provided for 
the feeding of souls." "To build," it continues, 
" material temples is judged a work of piety ; but 
they that procure spiritual food — they that build up 
spiritual temples, they are the men truly charitable, 
truly pious." The purpose of the letter is to entreat 
Mr. Storie, who was a London tradesman of wealth, 
devoted to the Puritan cause, to continue his contri- 
bution toward the support of a Dr. Wells, who was 
one of the itinerant lecturers of those days, and had 
been, no doubt, imparting spiritual comfort to the 
brethren in St. Ives and neighboring parts. Mr. 
Storie is besought " in the bowels of Jesus Christ to 
let the good man have his pay ;" and is promised 
that " the souls of God's children will bless" him for 
it, and " so shall I," adds Cromwell. In the course 
of the epistle there is an allusion to the suppression 
of these lecturers, which has been done " with too 
much haste and violence by the enemies of God's 
truth." The suppression of the lecturers by the 
active hostility of the High Church prelate, Laud, was 
felt by the Puritans as the most bitter of persecu- 
tions. This intolerant interference with the liberty 
of conscience was among the chief causes of the sub- 
sequent civil war. 

An event occurred during Cromwell's retirement 
at St. Ives, which, however unimportant it might ap- 



40 Oliver Cromwell. 

pear in its personal bearings, involved the assertion 
of a great principle which revolutionized a kingdom. 
John Hampden refused to pay twenty shillings, his 
assessment for ship-money. The ship-money was a 
tax for the professed support of a fleet which King 
Charles persisted in levying without the consent of 
Parliament. Hampden refused to pay, on the ground 
that it was a tyrannical exercise of royal power. All 
England was convulsed by this bold act of that noble 
assertor of the freedom of the subject, and in the 
course of our history we shall have occasion to speak 
more fully of the great trial and the important re- 
sults which ensued. Hampden's mother was a sister 
of Oliver Cromwell's father. We can conceive the 
warm sympathy which stirred the manly heart of 
Cromwell by this bold stand of his cousin John 
Hampden. 

Sir Thomas Stewart, the uncle, having died and 
left his property to Cromwell, our hero removed to 
Ely, the native place of his mother, where she now 
joined him. The house occupied by Cromwell, and 
previously by his uncle, still stands. Carlyle, writing 
a few years ago, and giving the result of his own ob- 
servation, says, that it is by no means a sumptuous 
mansion, that it may have conveniently held a man 
possessed of three or four hundred pound a year, 
with his family, in those early times. The house is 
composed of a story and a half, has many windows, 
irregular chimneys and gables. Oliver succeeded his 



Persecution by Laud. 41 

uncle in farming the tithes and cultivating various 
portions of leasehold land in the neighborhood, where 
a barn of great size is still shown, in which our farmer 
stowed his harvesting. 

The persecuting hand of Archbishop Laud was 
busy dealing with the pertinacious Puritans. The 
excessive zeal for church formalities led this arbi- 
trary prelate to insist upon rigid conformity with the 
most trifling ceremonials of the Church. The wear- 
ing of surplices, the close adherence to the fasts and 
festivals of the established religion were commanded, 
and the disobedient severely punished. The Puri- 
tans were excited to a high pitch of discontent by the 
punishment of three of their most prominent worthies. 
Prynne, a lawyer, Burton, a divine, and Bostwick, a 
physician, in great repute with the Puritans, were 
tried by the arbitrary Star Chamber, and dealt with 
to the utmost rigor of the law. Prynne had pre- 
viously been thrust from the bar, publicly exposed 
in the pillory, deprived of a good portion of both ears 
by cropping, and fined five thousand pounds, in con- 
sequence of a long- winded w T ork written against stage- 
playing, music, dancing, Christmas and holiday-keep- 
ing, and other heathenish practices. Laud saw in this 
ponderous book an attack upon the Church, and visit- 
ed the schismatic accordingly. The Puritans received 
with great indignation this persecution of their breth- 
ren, and considered them as martyrs suffering for 
conscience' sake. The courage with which these men 



42 Oliver Cromwell. 

underwent the cruel infliction of their tyrants in. 
creased the sympathy with their cause. Prynne, 
on being conducted to prison, addressed the crowd, 
insisting upon the legality of his conduct, and declar- 
ing that if he did not prove it, they might hang his 
body upon the door of the prison. The crowd shout- 
ed aloud their approval. As the executioner rudely 
bungled at the clipping of his ears, Prynne, in a fer- 
vor of fierce enthusiasm, cried out : " Cut me, tear 
me ; I fear thee not ; I fear the fire of hell, not thee !" 
The wife of Bostwick received his ears into her lap, 
as they dropped from the knife, and kissed them pas- 
sionately ; while the preacher, Burton, addressed the 
crowd in a strain of great religious fervor ; and as 
they carried him into a neighboring house, almost 
fainting from excitement and the hot sun of a June 
day, which shone directly in his face, he exclaimed : 
" It is too hot to last." 

The excitement prevailed throughout England, and 
reaching Scotland, was heightened to open rebellion. 
The attempt of Laud to impose an episcopate and a 
liturgy upon the land of Knox was rebuked with a 
passionate resistance. At the old Church of St. Giles* 
in Edinburgh, the famous scene was enacted, in which 
Jenny Gedcles threw her stool at the head of the 
dean who officiated, as he began to read the collect 
for the day, and hailed him thus : " Out, thou false 
thief! dost thou say the mass at my lug?" while 
others joined in with the cries : "A Pope, a Pope !" 



Trial of Hampden. 43 

" Stone him !" until all was confusion, and the con- 
gregation broke up in tumult and disorder. The 
same feeling found vent in indignant outbursts of pas 
sion in Glasgow, and in all parts of Scotland. 

In England the trial of John Hampden aroused the 
most exciting interest, and stirred the spirit of parti- 
sanship to the intensity of civil war. The trial con- 
tinued for the space of three weeks and three days, 
having opened on the 6th of November, (1637,) and 
closed with the end of the month. The Puritans and 
the friends of liberty throughout England watched its 
course, with an eager and anxious interest, beholding 
Hampden as the champion of their cause, who was 
hence styled the patriot, and considering his prosecu- 
tion as an invasion of the freedom of the subject. 
The popular feeling in behalf of this spirited and 
courageous assertor of the rights of Englishmen, 
arose to a pitch of intense enthusiasm. The trial be- 
gan. All the judges of England composed the august 
tribunal in the Exchequer Chamber before which the 
undaunted Hampden was arraigned. The great ques- 
tion involved had been already decided in favor of 
royal prerogative by the judicial authorities. King- 
Charles, on the imposition of the ship-money tax, of 
which Hampden refused to pay his assessment of 
twenty shillings, had proposed this question to the 
judges : " Whether, in case of necessity, for the de- 
fense of the kingdom, he might not impose this taxa- 
tion ; and whether he was not sole judge of the ne- 



44 Oliver Cromwell. 

cessity'?" The judges, with abject complacency, 
answered : " That in case of necessity, he might im- 
pose that taxation, and that he was sole judge of the 
necessity." These were the men before whom Hamp- 
den appeared, not looking for an acquittal from the 
subserviency of a servile court, but, trusting in the 
justice of his cause, to the sympathy of all liberty- 
loving Englishmen. 

The learned St. John, a man of great legal talents, 
and of eloquent utterance, who had embraced the 
party of freedom, with all the ardor of his impulsive 
temperament, appeared in behalf of the accused. 
His argument continued for three days, and was a 
masterly exposition of the law, as it was a bold and 
powerful defense of the rights of the subject. " You 
plead necessity," said he ; " by necessity you would 
abolish all law, and violently dissolve the ties of hu- 
man society. Thus not only the prince on the throne, 
but the beggar in the street, might justify any act of 
his uncontrolled will, and mankind be at the mercy 
of reckless passion. Grant that a peril may exist so 
urgent that all ancient rules of government must give 
way, and mankind be willing to submit to an irregu- 
lar power exercised for their preservation. Grant it ; 
but who will dare to say that such a peril threatens 
us ? England is in profound peace. The very writs 
now issued for the collection of ship-money do not 
speak of the necessity of a defense against a powerful 
enemy, but merely pretend that the seas are infested 



Conviction of Hampden. 45 

with pirates — a small inconvenience, which can well 
await the action of Parliament. It is strange that a 
necessity so urgent, in the eyes of the King and minis- 
ters, should be invisible to all England. And if the 
King is to be the sole judge of the necessity, tell me 
what is this but to subject the nation to the arbitrary 
will of the sovereign V " Moreover," continued St. 
John, as he glanced his eyes of fire upon the servile 
court, " let the King, if he deems the necessity so ur- 
gent, enforce his edicts by the Star Chamber, the 
instrument of absolute power, and not prostitute the 
character of the judges of England by bending them 
to the support of arbitrary authority." 

Hampden was convicted ; all the judges, with the 
exception of four, decided in favor of the Crown. 
The great purpose of the revolutionary hero was, 
however, attained : all England was aroused to a sense 
of the danger to its liberties. Every man felt that 
the exercise of kingly power must be rebuked, and 
in the trial where Hampden was convicted by tyran- 
ny, King Charles's death-sentence was pronounced in 
anticipation by the will of the people. 

We will return to Cromwell at Ely, where we left 
him, probably fully occupied with the settlement of 
his uncle's affairs, and the duties of his simple coun- 
try life. A letter which exists, addressed by Crom- 
well to his cousin, Mrs. St. John, the wife of the ship- 
money lawyer, makes no allusion to the great public 
questions which were agitating England, but is filled 



46 Oliver Cromwell. 

with impassioned expressions of tumultuous religious 
feeling, with which his own heart was disturbed. " I 
dare not say, He hideth His face from me. He giv- 
eth me to see light in His light. One beam in a 
dark place hath exceeding much refreshment in it ; 
blessed be His name for shining upon so dark a 
heart as mine ! You know what my manner of life 
hath been. Oh! I lived in and loved darkness, and 
hated light ; I was a chief, and the chief of sinners." 
Such is the strain of exalted religious feeling which, 
pervades the epistle, and shows that Cromwell's heart 
was deeply moved with the impassioned religious 
sentiment bf Puritanism. 

Cromwell earned for himself the title of the " Lord 
of the Fens," in consequence of the active part he 
bore in the question, of great local interest, in regard 
to the draining of the marshes which bordered upon 
the river Ouse. The people of the neighborhood 
were arrayed on one side, and the government on 
the other. Cromwell joined the popular cause, and 
succeeded, by his energetic advocacy, through agita- 
tion and getting up of public meetings, to bring it to 
a triumph. It is difficult to understand the merits of 
the question at this period, but it would appear that 
Cromwell, notwithstanding the evident advantage of 
the enterprise, opposed the draining, and thus fell in 
with the vulgar prejudices of the common people. A 
man of his practical sense could not have failed to 
appreciate the benefit of the proposed undertaking ; 



Going to America. 47 

but whether, in opposing it, he was cunningly making 
favor with the people, or had conscientious objections 
to the plan or the government agents employed, it 
is impossible to say. 

There is a not a very satisfactorily authenticated 
story of Cromwell having about this time resolved 
upon emigrating to America. Hopeless of relief to 
his native land from the tyranny of the Stuarts and 
the religious persecutions of Archbishop Laud, he 
had resolved, it is said, to seek in the wilds of Ame- 
rica a refuge from intolerance at home, and a security 
for the free exercise of his faith, in the remote West. 
A number of the Puritans, among whom were the 
patriot, John Hampden, and Cromwell and his 
family, are believed to have embarked on board a 
fleet of eight ships, which awaited a fair wind in 
the Thames to set sail for the Colonies, when the 
government, alarmed by the large emigration, issued 
a proclamation, forbidding any one to leave the 
country without a royal license. The eight ships, 
on one of which Cromwell and his family and 
Hampden had embarked, were stopped ; and thus 
these great revolutionists were retained in England, 
and the coming event of the civil war, with the 
overthrow of monarchy and the establishment of 
the protectorate, secured by a suicidal act of King 
Charles himself. The momentous facts of history 
are thus wrought out by comparatively humble cir- 
cumstances, which seem like the sports of chance, 



48 Oliver Cromwell. 

Cromwell now returned to Ely. We get some 
glances of the private life of Cromwell while at Ely, 
from casual allusions in his letters. He varied the 
monotony of his retired life by an occasional visit to 
his neighbors and relatives ; and we near of his be- 
ing at Otes House, the residence of Sir William 
Masham, in Essex, where he meets his cousin, Mrs. 
St. John, and her husband, the famous lawyer, who 
were also tarrying with the Mashams, who were 
related to the Cromwells. 

Two boys, or three, perhaps, of Cromwell are now 
old enough to be trusted away from the parental 
eye, and are sent to the grammar-school at Felsted. 
His eldest son, Oliver, had been entered there sev- 
eral years before, in his grandfather, Sir John Bour- 
chier's time, who was a resident of Eelsted, and 
could exercise a paternal guardianship over the lad. 
The Eelsted school, in Essex, was in great repute, 
and had produced some ripe scholars, one of the 
most famous of whom was the old divine, Dr. Isaac 
Barrow. Richard and Henry, probably, at this pe- 
riod joined their eldest brother ; and we may believe 
that their father, who was ever devoted to his child- 
len, not seldom rode over to see them, or bring 
them home for a holiday. This scene of domestic 
enjoyment in the simple retirement of country life 
was destined soon to close, and Oliver Cromwell to 
appear on the stage of the world in one of the great- 
est dramas enacted in history, where the plain coun- 



Religious Enthusiasm. 49 

try gentleman reveals himself, in the evolution of 
the plot, as the greatest hero of the age. 

The heroic conduct of the patriot Hampden, and the 
spirited encouragement it received from the manly 
sympathy of the people, were characteristic of the 
English nation. The ship-money, in itself, was not felt 
to be a burdensome tax in the flourishing material con- 
dition of the country ; but its unconstitutional imposi- 
tion was known to be an arbitrary act of power, and was 
therefore spiritedly resisted by all lovers of freedom 
throughout England. To this general cause of dis- 
content against the government was added the more 
partial and more intense indignation of the Puritans ; 
for it burned with the sacred and inextinguishable 
fire of religious enthusiasm. Puritanism resisted 
Prelacy for conscience' sake, and burned to war 
against it as an enemy of God. Every ecclesiastical 
measure of King Charles, suggested by the arbitrary 
and High-Church Archbishop Laud, was deemed a de- 
vice of Popery, and therefore of the devil. The Puritan 
zealots denounced, accordingly, with fiery hatred, the 
Church edicts, and communicated, by their impas- 
sioned exhortations, the fire of religious enthusiasm 
with which their imaginations were heated, to the 
inflammable temper of the populace. England was 
ready to burst out into a general conflagration of 
civil war. 

The first step of the rebellion, however, was taken 
by the disaffected of Scotland. The King and Laud 



ukj Oliver Cromwell. 

still persevering in imposing episcopates and a lit- 
urgy upon the Presbyterians of Scotland, the people 
were aroused to the highest degree of religious ex- 
citement. The multitude arose in Edinburgh to 
resist the " Popish" innovations, stoned the bishops, 
and put to flight the King's Council. All classes in 
Scotland began to sympathize with the popular 
movement. The nobility petitioned the crown ; 
the clergy, placing Popery and a liturgy in the same 
category, pounded them together without mercy on 
the pulpit-cushions ; the women resisted with cha- 
racteristic fervor ; the populace was encouraged in 
its outcry, and likened by the Scotch preachers to 
Balaam's ass, stupid and senseless in itself, but 
whose mouth had now been opened by the Lord to 
the admiration of the world. King Charles made a 
feeble attempt to put down the excitement and tu- 
mult, which threatened like a surging sea throughout 
Scotland. He issued a proclamation, in which he 
promised pardon for all past offenses, and entreated 
submission for the future to the use of the fearful 
liturgy. To this was opposed by the Scotch en- 
thusiasts the famous Covenant, by which the sub- 
scribers bound themselves, for the greater glory of 
God, to resist religious innovation, and to defend 
each other to death against all opposition whatever. 
Every one throughout Scotland, of all ranks and 
stations, ages and conditions, eagerly put his hands 
to the great document, and enrolled himself a Cove- 
nanter. 



. The Scotch Covenanters. 51 

All attempts on the part of government to dis- 
solve this great league were vain. Conciliation was 
tried, threats used, and war finally declared. An 
English fleet set sail for the Frith of Forth, and the 
King, surrounded by all the brilliancy of his court, 
led an army to Berwick, on the borders of Scotland. 
The Covenanters thronged together, animated by 
the intensest enthusiasm, and marched to meet the 
enemy. The Presbyterian preachers accompanied 
the march, and exhorted at every halt, cheering on 
the " brethren in the armor of God," and threaten- 
ing a fearful vengeance to those " who went not out 
to assist the Lord against the mighty." The King, 
alarmed by this powerful display of resistance in- 
spirited by the intensest religious fervor, and dis- 
trustful of his own soldiers, who, sharing in the 
Puritan feeling of England, were known to hold a 
common sympathy with the malcontent Covenanters 
of Scotland, discreetly resolved upon making terms. 
Peace was concluded, with the understanding that 
all the differences between the King of England and 
the Scotch people should be settled "by a Parliament 
and a General Assembly, which were to be sum- 
moned at once. The fleet was accordingly with- 
drawn from the Frith of Forth, and the English 
army which had marched to Berwick marched back 
again. No concession was to be got from either 
Scotch Assembly or Scotch Parliament. The King 
was now no longer disposed to conciliate with gentle 



52 Oliver Cromwell. 

words ; but, determining to enforce his measures by 
the power of the sword, and try the effect of a 
second army, marched into Scotland. 

Charles, having exhausted his treasury and his 
ingenuity for filling it, was forced into the necessity 
of assembling Parliament. An interval of eleven 
years had passed since the English House of Com- 
mons had broken up in tumultuous resistance to the 
royal authority. In the mean time, the English peo- 
ple had almost despaired of a popular representation, 
and were led to believe that the deprivation of a 
Parliament was among the other grievances with 
which a tyrannical monarch was inflicting his sub- 
jects. Great, then, was the surprise and the delight 
of all lovers of constitutional liberty, when the Par- 
liament of the 13th April, 1640, was summoned by 
the royal mandate. 

Oliver Cromwell was elected as member for 
Cambridge. Belonging to one of the most influen- 
tial families of the neighborhood ; made popular by 
his conduct in the local question of draining the 
marshes ; known as deeply devoted to the growing 
cause of the Puritans ; and sustained by the great 
political influence of his cousin, the patriot Hamp- 
den, he was readily returned as the representative 
of the important borough of Cambridge. 

The session of this Parliament lasted only three 
weeks. The House, instead of voting supplies that 
the King might carry on war against the insurrec- 



Dissolution of Parliament. 53 

tionary Scots, began to discuss the grievances of 
England. The Lord-Keeper Finch might represent 
the urgent necessities of his royal master in conse- 
quence of the debt he had incurred for the expenses 
of the past, some three hundred thousand pounds, 
and the money he required for the war now immi- 
nent. The House would not listen to the obsequi- 
ous minister of King Charles, but hung upon every 
word of the advocate of the popular cause, Pym, 
who boldly presented the grievances of the country, 
religious and political, and sternly denounced the 
authors of them. No concession was to be wrung 
from such a Parliament, and the King dissolved it 
in furious haste. Not content with this imprudent 
act, he became so intemperate in his rage as to im- 
prison several members of the Parliament who had 
made themselves especially obnoxious by their op- 
position. The people of England were indignant 
beyond measure at this abrupt dissolution of Par- 
liament, and the other high-handed attacks upon 
the rights of representation. Loud murmurs were 
heard everywhere. In London, Archbishop Laud 
was attacked in his palace of Lambeth; and St. 
Paul's Church, where the Convocation of Bishops 
was in session, was stormed by the enraged popu- 
lace. 

There is no specific record of the part borne by 
Cromwell in the Short Parliament — for such it is 
called in history ; but we may be assured he never 



54 Oliver Cromwell. 

failed to raise his voice and pledge his influence in 
behalf of the popular cause, and that he deeply 
pondered the serious events which led to the ap- 
proaching great crisis. 

The King, finding a Parliament so refractory, was 
obliged to resort to other means for raising the 
necessary supplies for carrying on war against the 
Scots. His ministers and courtiers liberally con- 
tributed towards his necessities : the Earl of Straf- 
ford, then Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, gave the 
large sum of twenty thousand pounds ; Archbishop 
Laud added a handsome quota ; and in a few days 
some three hundred thousand pounds were made 
over to King Charles by the generosity of his 
friends. Various taxes were compulsorily levied, 
which added but little to the royal treasury, but 
increased greatly the popular dissatisfaction. An 
army of nineteen thousand foot, and two thousand 
horse, under the command of the Earl of Northum 
berland as general, and Strafford as lieutenant-gen- 
eral, was thus enrolled, and marched toward Scotland. 
Before the King's army had reached the borders, it 
was met by the Scotch, and frightened back in a 
confused rout into the interior. Northumberland 
and Durham, in the northern part of England, were 
taken possession of by the enemy, and held fOr more 
than a year. The Scotch sought every opportunity 
of fraternizing with the English Puritans, and en- 
couraged them, by open declarations of religious 



Long Parliament. 55 

and political sympathy, in their opposition to the 
King. The cause of the disaffected in England re- 
ceived thus an immense accession of strength. The 
Covenanters of Scotland became, accordingly, very 
popular with the English people ; and ballads even 
were sung in London, in the very ear of majesty, 
the burthen of which was praise of the enemy. 

The King was now harassed on every side. Scot- 
land was in open rebellion, with a triumphant army 
threatening the English crown : the people of Eng- 
land, in a state of angry discontent at the tyrannical 
exercise of the royal prerogative and the intolerance 
of the Church, were only controlled from rushing 
into civil war by the vague hope of constitutional 
relief. The King was compelled to listen to the de- 
mands of his subjects. His first concession was a 
Parliament. Ten thousand citizens of London en- 
treated this in a petition ; twelve peers of the realm 
made the same request, and all England joined in the 
demand. A Parliament was accordingly summoned 
for the third of November, and on that clay the cele- 
brated Long Parliament assembled. 



CHAPTER III. 

CROMWELL was elected member of the Long 
Parliament for the town of Cambridge. He 
was then forty-one years of age. As he made his 
appearance in that great assembly of England's great- 
est and best of men, where Pym, Hampden, St. 
John, and Vane boldly stood forth for the popular 
cause, and Hyde, Falkland, Digby, and Capel gal- 
lantly defended their royal master, there was nothing 
to attract the public admiration towards the plain 
country member for Cambridge. Among the elo- 
quent and courtly, Cromwell, whose exterior was rus- 
tic and utterance rude, was scarcely marked, or only 
noticed for his want of those accomplishments which 
distinguished his great associates. 

There was less of the courtly bearing about Crom- 
well than might have been expected from his gentle 
birth. His vigorous, muscular frame, developed by 
country life ; his somewhat short, square-built figure ; 
his heavy step ; his round, ruddy face, disfigured by 
an ugly wart ; his prominent nose, of a color that 
seemed to chronicle unlimited scores of beer; his 
large, pouting mouth, full cheeks, and his stern blue 



His Personal Appearance. 57 

eyes, encased in thick lids, fixed rigidly between a 
square, frowning brow and a solid, projecting chin, 
gave him a rudeness of aspect which was far from 
indicating the supposed marks of high breeding. 

There is an interesting record of Cromwell's ap- 
pearance in the Long Parliament. " The first time," 
says Sir Philip Warwick, " I ever took notice of Mr. 
Cromwell was in the very beginning of the Parlia- 
ment held in November, when I, member for Rad- 
nor, vainly thought myself a courtly young gentle- 
man, (for we courtiers valued ourselves much upon 
our good clothes.) I came one morning into the 
house, well clad, and perceived a gentleman speak- 
ing, (whom I knew not,) very ordinarily apparelled, 
for it was a plain cloth suit, which seemed to have 
been made by an ill country tailor ; his linen was 
plain and not very clean ; and I remember a speck or 
two of blood upon his little band, which was not 
much larger than his collar ; his hat was without a 
hat-band ; his stature was of good size ; his sword 
stuck close to his side, his countenance swoln and 
reddish, his voice sharp and untunable, and his elo- 
quence full of fervor." 

Dr. South, the*celebrated divine, has also tried his 
hand at a sketch of Oliver's appearance at this time, 
although the courtly ecclesiastic took good care not 
to publish the sermon which contained the caricature 
until the great man was dead. While he was alive 
and in power, the reverend doctor could style Crom- 
3* 



58 Oliver Cromwell. 

well " a lively copy of Jeroboam ;" when dead, he 
ventured to say : " Who that had beheld such a 
bankrupt, beggarly fellow as Cromwell, first entering 
the Parliament house, with a threadbare torn cloak 
and a greasy hat, (and perhaps neither of them paid 
for,) could have suspected that in the space of so few 
years, he should, by the murder of one king, and the 
banishment of another, ascend the throne, be invested 
in the royal robes, and want nothing of the state of 
a king but the changing of his hat into a crown ?" 

The country gentleman was not long in showing 
the effects of a town residence upon his exterior, if we 
may believe Sir Philip Warwick, who seems to have 
been as close an observer of the cut of a coat as a 
Nugee or Stultz. This observing knight, who had 
been so severe upon the clumsy performance of Oli- 
ver's country suit, makes amends by praising with 
the gusto of a connoisseur, the finished productions 
of the more skillful London artist, and talks of Crom- 
well's " great and majestic deportment and comely 
presence" when he had submitted to the finishing 
touch of a "better taylor." 

To those who were better judges than the courtly 
South or the gossiping Sir Philip, the rude-spoken, 
slovenly country gentleman appeared a noticeable 
person. Lord Digby, when in the House of Com- 
mons, by the side of Hampden, remarked : " Pray, 
Mr. Hampden,- who is that man, for I see he is on 
our side by his speaking so warmly to-day ?" " That 



His Eloquence. 59 

sloven," answered Hampden, " whom you see before 
you hath no ornament in his speech ; that sloven, I 
say, if we should ever come to a breach with the 
King, (which God forbid !) in such a case, I say, that 
sloven will be the greatest man in England." " That 
sloven" was Oliver Cromwell, the future Protector. 

Our country member, however, soon made him- 
self heard by all in that memorable Long Parlia- 
ment. Though never fluent, and unskilled in the 
practised eloquence of the orator, Cromwell spoke 
always with a fervor, which, as it came from the 
heart, went to the hearts of all who heard him. Even 
his enemies confess that, from his earnestness and 
fervor, he was much listened to.* 

King Charles had summoned the Parliament with 
fear and trembling. By the very act he had thrown 
himself upon the mercy of his subjects. Instead of 
opening the session with the usual pomp and ceremo- 
nial, he proceeded quietly, almost secretly, to West- 
minster by water. The speech from the throne was 
intended to be conciliatory, but having alluded to the 
Scots who had invaded England, as rebels, his Ma- 
jesty was forced to apologize for the use of the term. 
The House of Commons was evidently composed of 
the friends of the people. The royal influence had 
failed even to secure the election of a devoted friend 
of the King, Gardiner, as Speaker. Not one third of 
the members, although the crown had exercised all its 

* Sir Philip Warwick. 



60 Oliver Cromwell. 

power to secure a majority for its party, were ready to 
raise their voices in behalf of the King. The redress 
of grievances, political and religious, claimed the first 
attention of the Commons. The Papistical tenden- 
cies of the crown were rebuked by the stern denun- 
ciation of the Puritan orators. The King was forced 
to drive all the Eoman Catholics from the court and 
the army, and banish the priests from the country. 
The " Church was purged." The independent min- 
isters who had been dismissed from their livings for 
non- conformity by the intolerant Laud, were re- 
stored ; and those " scandalous" clergymen, whose 
conduct had been immoral, or who had made them- 
selves obnoxious to the Protestant feeling of the 
country, by their zeal for Popish ceremonies, were 
either rebuked or cast into prison. 

Prynne, Burton, and Bostwick, who had been so 
severely punished, were triumphantly pardoned, and 
their judges fined. These sufferers for the Puritan 
cause were compensated by a public ovation, and en- 
tered London, attended by a procession of hundreds 
of carriages, thousands of horsemen, and multitudes 
on foot, wearing bay and rosemary in their hats. 

The levy of ship-money, and all the prosecutions 
which attended the imposition of that odious tax, 
were pronounced illegal. 

These decided measures having been summarily 
disposed of, Pym rose, and having enlarged upon the 
public grievances, indulged, at the close, in a strain of 



Faithful in Parliament. 61 

bitter invective against the ministers of the govern- 
ment, whom he held responsible by their wicked 
counsels, for the subversion of the liberties of the 
realm. Of the chief of these traitors to their coun- 
try was Strafford, against whose public and private 
character Pym, having bitterly inveighed, he con- 
cluded by moving the impeachment of that states- 
man. Strafford, Laud, and others were successively 
impeached and imprisoned in the Tower of London, 
to await their trial for treason. 

It does not appear that Cromwell took a very act- 
ive part in the early proceedings of the Long Parlia- 
ment, although we are sure he felt a deep interest in 
the momentous transactions of that important body. 
When the Scotch treaty came up, Cromwell evidently 
took a part in the question, as a letter addressed to a 
friend is extant, in which he asks for information in 
regard to an article which bore upon the subject of 
uniformity of religion between England and Scot- 
land. He also showed his sympathy with the perse- 
cuted Puritans by presenting a petition in behalf of 
young John Lilburn, who had been whipped with 
two hundred stripes from Westminster to Fleet- 
street prison. This Lilburn had been Secretary to 
Prynne, and thus came in for his share of persecu- 
tion from Laud and the High-Church party. 

Cromwell was evidently doing his duty faithfully 
as a member of Parliament. If he did not shine 
among the orators, he was not surpassed by the hard- 



62 Oliver Cromwell. 

est workers on committees and in the business of the 
House. The Tory Earl of Clarendon has left a record 
of Cromwell's conduct on one occasion, which, as the 
report comes from an enemy, must be taken with 
considerable allowance. The occasion was a parlia- 
mentary committee before which was the question 
of the right of inclosure of certain waste lands be- 
longing to the Queen's manors. These lands had 
been inclosed without the consent of the tenants, and 
sold by the Queen to the Earl of Manchester, Lord 
Privy Seal. Loud complaints were made by the 
people throughout the country, at this interference 
with the rights of tenants, and a petition was submit- 
ted to Parliament praying for protection. Cromwell 
appeared, with his usual devotion to the popular cause, 
for the petitioners. The question, moreover, had a 
local interest for him ; for it referred to a wrong in 
his own neighborhood of St. Ives. Lord Clarendon 
says : " Cromwell, who had never before been heard 
to speak in the Llouse of Commons — at least not by 
me, though he had often spoken, and was very well 
known there — ordered the witnesses and the petition- 
ers in the method of the proceeding ; and seconded 
and enlarged upon what they said with great pas- 
sion ; and the witnesses and persons concerned, who 
were a very rude kind of people, interrupted the 
counsel and witnesses on the other side, with great 
clamor, when they said any thing that did not please 
them ; so that Mr. Hyde (whose office it was to 



Called to Order. 63 

oblige persons of all sorts to keep order) was com- 
pelled to use some sharp reproofs and some threats, 
to reduce them to such a temper that the business 
might be quietly heard. Cromwell, in great fury, 
reproached the Chairman for being partial, and that 
he discountenanced the witnesses by threatening 
them ; the other appealed to the committee, which 
justified him and declared that he behaved himself 
as he ought to do ; which more inflamed him," (Crom- 
well,) " who was already too much angry. * * * * 
In the end his whole carriage was so tempestuous, 
and his behavior so insolent, that the chairman found 
himself obliged to reprehend him ; and to tell him 
that if he" (Mr. Cromwell) " proceeded in the same 
manner, he" (Mr. Hyde) "would presently adjourn 
the committee, and the next morning complain to the 
House of him ; which he never forgave, and took all 
occasions afterwards to pursue him with the utmost 
malice and revenge to his death." 

The triumph of the popular cause was exhibited in 
every act of the Long Parliament. The King was 
forced to yield, step by step, until he found himself 
driven to the last extremity, and hardly protected by 
a shred of his royal prerogative from the storm of 
popular passion. Oliver St. John, the great Puritan 
lawyer, was appointed Solicitor-General, in conces- 
sion to the general feeling. Propositions were made 
to Pym, Hampden, Holies, and other leaders of the 
Puritan cause, to form a ministry, but negotiations 



04 Oliver Cromwell. 

were abruptly ended by a refusal on the part of the 
King to the exactions of these determined reformers, 
in behalf of constitutional liberty. Thwarted in this 
desperate effort at political conciliation, Charles tam- 
pered with the army, and strove to rally its might in 
his behalf. Plots for the purpose of releasing Straf- 
ford from prison, coercing the Parliament and de- 
fending the throne, were laid, and detected. The 
King was undoubtedly concerned in these unconstitu- 
tional designs. Great excitement arose in Parlia- 
ment and throughout the country in consequence. It 
was a sad blow to the King's cause, and a proportion- 
ate encouragement to that of the people. 

England was in a state of great fermentation, and 
every thing betokened the approach of civil war. 
While the statesmen of England w r ere manfully rais- 
ing their voices for liberty in Parliament ; w T hile the 
great constitutional lawyer, St. John, was dashing his 
torrents of learning against the frail bark of kingly 
prerogative ; while the cool, sagacious Pym was un- 
masking monarchical corruption, and exposing its 
dark labyrinths of deceit; and while the patriot 
Hampden was pouring out in impassioned and elo- 
quent words his hatred of tyranny and his love of 
freedom, the other great men of England, whose Sen- 
ate w r as not closed by the walls of Westminster, but 
was as expansive as the universe, raised their voices 
too in behalf of the great cause. Learning and ge- 
nius came to the rescue. Milton then stood forth a 



Trial of Strafford. 65 

champion of the liberty of conscience and the rights 
of man. The youthful poet had just returned from 
Rome, where, musing among the ruins of the ancient 
republic, he had filled his young heart with hopes of 
freedom, and raised in his imagination a fabric of po- 
litical liberty and glory for his own land. He now 
poured forth a strain of eloquent invective against 
tyranny, in a style of pure writing, as lofty as the 
cause in behalf of which it was uttered. 

On. the 22d March, 1641, the trial of Thomas 
Wentworth, the Earl of Strafford, charged with trea- 
son by the Parliament of England, commenced. 
Strafford was one of the greatest men of his country. 
Born of a wealthy and influential family, he was rich 
and powerful, and like many of the gentlemen com- 
moners of his day, he had pledged himself to the popu- 
lar cause, and advocated it with all the power of his 
great capacity. Won over by royal influence, he be- 
came as devoted a partisan of the King as he had 
been a warm friend of the people. His manners had 
always been distant, and his temper stern and impe- 
rious. To these unpopular characteristics was added 
his apostasy to the cause of the people, and as every 
act of his as minister, had been to strengthen the ar- 
bitrary power of the King, and enfeeble the resist- 
ance of the subject, there was no man in England so 
hated for his corrupt life as the Earl of Strafford, and 
we may add, no hero, whose memory is so revered 
for his heroic death. He was of great capacity as a 



66 Oliver Cromwell. 

statesman, and as an orator unsurpassed in eloquence 
by the greatest men of the British Senate in any 
age. 

Westminster Hall was fitted up expressly for the 
great trial. The members of the House of Commons 
appeared as the accusers, while the Peers of the 
realm sat as judges. A large elevated platform was 
raised, in the centre of which were placed the Lords, 
while the Commons were ranged on either side of 
them. The King and Queen watched the proceeding 
in a private compartment behind the throne, which 
was hidden from public gaze by a screen, and were 
present during the whole trial, awaiting the issue with 
intense interest. A gallery was erected near the royal 
box, and was filled with the peeresses and the first 
women of England. A bar stretched across the 
lower part of the hall, and limited the entrance of 
the crowd, who eagerly thronged the place allotted 
them. 

The proceedings lasted thirteen days. Each morn- 
ing, at nine o'clock, the prisoner was conducted to 
the court and entered, making his obeisance to the 
high steward, kneeling at the bar and bowing to the 
Peers, only a part of whom returned the courtesy. 

The charges were met by the accused with so calm 
a temper, and rebutted with so much eloquence, that 
even the enemies of Strafford could not withhold 
their praise. His pathetic oratory carried the feel- 
ing of the audience completely away, the ladies sobbed 



Eloquence of Digby. 67 

aloud, and some swooned. On the last day the Peers 
were evidently on his side. The House of Commons, 
however, passed a bill attainting the Earl of Strafford 
for endeavoring to subvert the liberties of the coun- 
try. Its passage was resisted with great spirit by 
many, and especially by Lord. Digby, the son of the 
Earl of Bristol. This nobleman said in one of the 
most eloquent of speeches : " I believe his practices 
in themselves as high, as tyrannical as any subject 
ever ventured upon, and the malignity of them 
hugely aggravated by those rare abilities of his, 
whereof God hath given him the use, and the devil 
the application. In a word, I believe him still to be 
that grand apostate to the commonwealth, who must 
not expect to be pardoned in this world, till he be 
dispatched to the other. And yet, let me tell you, 
Mr. Speaker, my hand must not be to that dispatch. 
I protest, as my conscience stands informed, I had 
rather it were off." At the conclusion he warned the 
members against partisan feeling : "Away with per- 
sonal animosities, away with all flattering to the peo- 
ple, in being the sharper against him because he is 
odious to them. Away with all fears lest by spar- 
ing his blood they may be incensed." These were 
noble words. 

The bill, however, passed, much to the satisfaction 
of the populace, who thronged in thousands about the 
palace-yard at Westminster, crying: "Justice on 
Strafford ! Justice on traitors !" The fifty-four mem- 



G8 * Oliver Cromwell. 

bers who voted against the bill were obliged to sub- 
mit to a storm of popular indignation. Their names 
were placarded about the streets of London as "Straf- 
fordians who, to save a traitor, were willing to betray 
their country." 

Notwithstanding the action of the House of Com- 
mons, the Peers proceeded as usual without taking 
cognizance of it, and Strafford rose to make his de- 
fense in those noble words, which remain as models 
of eloquence. 

After taking up each charge, and rebutting it with 
consummate skill, and warning the country in a strain 
of fierce yet dignified eloquence against the danger 
of that distortion of the laws by which he charged his 
enemies with seeking his condemnation, he closed 
with this pathetic appeal : " My Lords, I have now 
troubled your lordships a great deal longer than I 
should have done, were it not for the interest of these 
pledges, which a saint in heaven left me. I should 
be loth" — (Here he pointed to his children who were 
present to witness the trial upon which the fate of 
their father hung, and could not speak for a moment 
for weeping — )" What I forfeit for myself, it is no- 
thing ; but I confess that my indiscretion should for- 
feit for them, it wounds me very deeply. You will 
be pleased to pardon my infirmity : something I 
should have said ; but I see I shall not be able, and 
therefore I shall leave it. 

"And now, my lords, I thank God I have been, by 



Strafford and the King. 69 

his blessing, sufficiently instructed in the extreme 
vanity of all temporary enjoyments, compared to the 
importance of our eternal duration. And so, my 
lords, even so, with all humility, and with all tran- 
quillity of mind, I submit clearly and freely to your 
judgments ; and whether that righteous doom shall 
be to life or death, I shall repose myself, full of grati- 
tude and confidence, in the arms of the great Author 
of my existence." 

To give effect to the bill of attainder, the sanction 
of the House of Lords and the signature of the King 
were necessary. Of the former, although eighty peers 
had been present during the trial of Strafford, only 
forty-five — so panic-stricken were the rest — assem- 
bled to pass upon the attainder, and of these nineteen 
had the courage to vote against it. 

The fate of the Earl now hung upon the decision 
of the King — his death-warrant awaited only Charles's 
signature. Strafford had sacrificed every thing to his 
royal master — his character, his popularity — and now 
his life was at his mercy. When this great man, 
aware of his danger, had resisted the King's solicita- 
tion to come to London, Charles, unable to cope with 
his enemies without the aid of his infinite capacity 
and courage, had sacredly pledged his word for the 
safety of his minister. Strafford, trusting to the 
pledge, complied, and faithfully devoted himself to 
the royal service. His death-warrant was now be- 
fore the King ; affection, honor, and duty staid the 



70 Oliver Cromwell. 

royal hand ; the King could never seal the doom of 
him whom he loved, whom he had sworn to succor, 
and whom he was bound to save. 

Charles was beset with popular clamor crying out 
for the blood of Strafford. The mob surrounded his 
palace of Whitehall, and loudly demanded the sacri- 
fice, and threatened vengeance if spoiled of their vic- 
tim. The attendants and servants of his household, 
panic-stricken, sought repose for their fears in urging 
the King's compliance. The Queen, who was an en- 
emy of Strafford, gathered her children, and in tears 
prayed Charles, for his own safety, for the love he 
bore his wife and his offspring, to save their lives by 
yielding to the popular will. 

The noble Strafford, hearing how his master was 
beset by the threats of his enemies, and the entrea- 
ties of those he loved, in the devoted spirit with 
which he had already given so much, now offered his 
all — his life to the King. He wrote a letter from 
prison to Charles, in which he entreated him, for the 
sake of public peace, to put an end to his unfortu- 
nate however innocent life, and thus quiet the tumul- 
tuous people by granting them what they so eagerly 
demanded. " In this," said he, " my consent will 
more acquit you to God than all the world can do 
besides. To a willing man there is no injury. And 
as, by God's grace, I forgive all the world with a 
calmness and meekness to the infinite contentment 
of my dislodging soul ; so, sir, to you I can resign 



The Death -Wan-ant. 71 

the life of this world, with all imaginable cheerful- 
ness, in the just acknowledgment of your exceeding 
favors." 

Charles, after struggling in agony with the despe- 
rate position to which he was driven, at last yielded. 
As if to save his hand from the guilt with which his 
conscience accused him, he granted a commission to 
four noblemen, through whom the royal assent was 
given to the bill. 

Upon the King's Secretary bringing word to Straf- 
ford of the final resolution of Charles, the Earl start- 
ed and exclaimed : Put not your trust in , pr ince \s, nor 
in the sons of men : for in them there is no salvation. 
In three days he was to be executed. He calmly 
awaited the event. 

The fatal day arrived. Strafford's courage never 
deserted him, but he walked to the scaffold with that 
erect and firm step and dignified composure of coun- 
tenance which were habitual to the great man. As 
he passed under the window of the apartment in 
which Archbishop Laud was imprisoned, he asked of 
the primate his last blessing. Laud, having stretched 
his hands through the grated bars, tenderly and in 
broken accents pronounced a blessing on his doomed 
friend, and sunk back in a swoon. 

Strafford moved on with the same dignified calm- 
ness, and seemed even more than usually elate and 
self-reliant, as he mounted the scaffold with an elastic 
step. On reaching the fatal block, he turned round, 



72 Oliver Cromwell. 

and calmly surveying the one hundred thousand peo- 
ple who had gathered to witness his death, spoke as 
follows : " I fear the omen is bad for the intended 
reformation of the State, that it commenced with the 
innocent shedding of blood." Then bidding a fare- 
well to his brother and friends, who were by his side 
on the scaffold, and " Now," continued he, " I have 
nigh done ! One stroke will make my wife a widow, 
my dear children fatherless, deprive my poor serv- 
ants of their indulgent master, and separate me from 
my affectionate brother and all my friends ! but let 
God be to you and them all in all." 

Strafford then calmly removed his outer garment, 
exposed his neck, and turned back his hair, that it 
might not interfere with the edge of the axe, and say- 
ing : " I thank God that I am nowise afraid of death, 
nor am daunted with any terrors ; but do as cheer- 
fully lay down my head at this time as ever I did 
, when going to repose !" he laid his head upon the 
block, and with one blow it was severed. Thus died 
the Earl of Strafford in the forty-ninth year of his 
age. At night all London was illuminated to cele- 
brate the occasion, and the populace rejoiced greatly 
at their triumph in the great man's death. 

The Long Parliament continued its sweeping re- 
forms. The Parliament was declared perpetual, or 
only to be dissolved by its own consent, the arbitrary 
High Commission and Star Chamber were abolished, 
and other grievances removed. The armies were 



At Ely. 73 

disbanded, and the Scots returned home. This lat- 
ter measure was promptly executed in consequence 
of the visit of the King to Scotland, as the Parlia- 
ment was anxious to remove so dangerous an agent 
as an armed force from the chance of being won over 
by the monarch in defense of his arbitrary preroga- 
tive. 

There was now an intermission of parliamentary 
duty, and we find Cromwell again at Ely, where he 
spent six weeks during the recess of Parliament, from 
the 9th of September to the 20th of October, (1641.) 
Cromwell, after attending to his private affairs, and 
enjoying the repose of his country life, and the hap- 
piness he so much appreciated in the society of his 
wife and family, hurried back to London on the re- 
assembling of Parliament. 

No sooner had the House of Commons gathered 
together, when news reached London of troubles in 
Ireland. Presuming upon the confused state of affairs 
in England, and the embarrassed position of the King 
and his government, the Irish Catholics conspired 
against the Protestants, that James I. had colo- 
nized in Ireland, and whom the natives looked upon 
•as interlopers, hated aliens in religion and race. The 
conspiracy vented itself in open rebellion, and there 
ensued a massacre unapproached in horror by that of 
St, Bartholomew or of the Eeign of Terror in France. 

The English Protestants had devoted themselves to 
the peaceful occupations of trade and agriculture, and 
4 



74 Oliver Cromwell. 

mingled unsuspectingly among the natives, in the 
peaceful duties of their simple lives. 

The Irish, at a given signal, fell upon the property 
of the aliens, and rapaciously seized their horses, cat- 
tle, and goods. The English, instead of gathering 
together, and resisting in combination this attack, re 
tired separately within their houses, with the hope 
of protecting their property, and were thus at the 
mercy of their enemy. Sated with plunder, the ruth- 
less Irish commenced a general massacre, and fell to 
butchering their defenseless victims. No quarter 
was given ; no age, sex, or condition was spared. 
Fathers, husbands, and brothers ; mothers, wives, 
and daughters ; the old man and the child ; the 
strong and the feeble, were indiscriminately slaugh 
tered. There was no escape ; flight was cut off by 
the thronging and watchful savages ; appeals to. 
mercy were drowned in the cries of fierce hatred ; the 
ties of blood, of friendship, and neighborhood, were 
alike dissolved by the infuriate Irish, who wreaked 
their vengeance equally upon all the Protestants, 
even those with whom they were allied by claims of 
kindred. Nor were the savages content with the 
death of their victims, but prolonged the agonies 
of suffering by all the tortures an ingenious cru- 
elty could devise. The Irish women unsexed them- 
selves, and even the children were brutalized to a 
fierce thirst of blood. Mothers and their offspring, 
hand in hand, followed in the bloody steps of the fero- 



Irish Massacre. 75 

cious men, and gave the last blow to the dying vic- 
tims already struck down by a stronger might, or 
butchered the defenseless little ones of the English 
who had been left to their weaker but not more ten- 
der hands. 

From Ulster, which was the scene of these unex- 
ampled cruelties, the rebellion spread to other parts 
of Ireland, and was not unaccompanied with acts of 
similar barbarism. In many places the Protestants 
were driven from their houses, stripped of their 
clothes, and turned out to the mercy of the storm 
and the cold during a season which was of unexam- 
pled severity. Houses were burned, the fields laid 
waste, and a seared desert left to attest the devasta- 
tion of the Protestant settlements. The victims num- 
bered one hundred and fifty thousand or more, and 
but a miserable remnant of the former English popu- 
lation was left, who escaped to the protection of Dub- 
lin ; and such was the misery and suffering of the fugi- 
tives, that most of them died within its gates. 

These barbarous cruelties in Ireland gave new 
vigor to the stern denunciation of Popery, and fresh 
strength to the resolute determination to resist it on 
the part of the Puritans. The Irish leaders had 
forged a warrant from the King, which had been ea- 
gerly believed by the opponents of royalty, and 
Charles was thus held guilty of complicity in the 
crime of Ireland. This added greatly to the bitter 
indignation of the people against the monarch, and 



76 Oliver Cromwell. 

gave increased strength to the revolutionary Parlia- 
ment. 

The House of Commons now decided upon the 
" Grand Petition and Remonstrance," which set forth 
the grievances of the people, minutely denounced the 
various tyrannical acts of the King, and charged that 
monarch with the design of totally subverting the 
Constitution, and under the influence of a Popish fac- 
tion, of introducing the Roman Catholic religion into 
England and Scotland, and of exciting a bloody re- 
bellion in Ireland. This is one of the most memora- 
ble occasions in English history. The debate on the 
" Remonstrance" was prolonged from the afternoon 
of one day, throughout the night, and until near the 
dawn of the next morning. Eor fourteen hours the 
question was agitated with great warmth, and the dis- 
cussion became so stormy, that had it not been for 
the conciliatory management of the patriot Hamp- 
den, the members of the House would have drawn 
their swords, and revenged themselves in each other's 
blood. The " Remonstrance" passed by a majority 
of eleven only. 

Cromwell watched the issue with deep interest, 
and sat- out the debate through the long night. 
When the House arose, the neighboring clock of St. 
Margaret was chiming the early morning hour, and 
Cromwell was heard to say, as he descended the stairs 
leading from the hall, that he would have sold all 
and gone to New-England had the Remonstrance not 
passed. 



Doivn ivith the Bisho2)s! 77 

King Charles now returned from Scotland, and was 
received in London with considerable demonstration 
of attachment on the part of the ever-vacillating 
populace, but this slight breath of popular favor soon 
veered round into a tempest of popular passion 
against the monarch. The King had appointed five 
new bishops to fill certain vacant sees. The Com- 
mons opposed this, and moreover insisted that the 
thirteen bishops who had been accused of high trea- 
son, should be deprived of their seats in the House 
of Peers and imprisoned. The House of Lords 
joined Charles in resisting these measures. 

The people now took up the question of the bish- 
ops ; and crowds of Londoners, composed of the citi- 
zens, the shopmen, and apprentices, thronged about 
the entrance of the House of Lords, and insulted the 
bishops as they went in and out. Petitions were got 
up by the corporation of London, who drove in sixty 
coaches followed by the mob in thousands to the gates 
of Parliament. One of the officers of the King's 
Guard having drawn his sword upon an appren- 
tice, the people became heated and fiercely threat- 
ened vengeance. The mob, arming themselves, at- 
tacked the King's soldiers, and assumed an attitude 
of fierce defiance crying out : "Answer our petition !" 
and "Down with the bishops and rotten-hearted 
Lords !" 

The Jving's person was hardly safe from the popu- 
lar rage, and threats were heard against his life. 



78 Oliver Cromwell. 

Some of the young gentry volunteered their services 
for the protection of majesty, and frequently came to 
blows, even to the extent of bloodshed, with the popu- 
lace. The common people in those days wore short- 
cropped hair, while the gentlemen wore flowing locks. 
The former were accordingly called then, for the first 
time, Roundheads, while the latter were termed Cava- 
liers, which remaining as party names, gave increased 
inveteracy to mutual hatred. 

The bishops are voted by the Commons, in spite 
of the King and Lords, guilty of treason, and the 
whole twelve are sent forthwith to the Tower. 

Although the House of Peers opposed, for the most 
part, the tide of popular resistance to the King, there 
were many who early identified themselves with the 
cause of the people. Among these was the Earl of 
Northumberland, Lord Admiral, one of the first in 
rank and fortune of the nobles of the land ; the Earl 
of Essex, a popular favorite, renowned as a soldier, 
and although of no great capacity, a man of undoubt- 
ed honor and integrity ; and the Earl of Manchester, 
whose virtues made him beloved by all the nation. 

The King now took a fatal step which precipitated 
the crisis which was threatening to overturn his 
throne. He, through his attorney-general, brought 
an accusation of high treason against Lord Kim- 
bolton, (afterward Earl of Manchester,) and the five 
Commoners, Holies, Sir Arthur Hazelrig, Hampden, 
Pym, and Strode. All England was amazed by this 



The King in Parliament. 79 

bold measure, and indignant at the audacious step 
which followed it. A sergeant-at-arms in the King's 
name presented himself to the House of Commons, 
and demanded the five members accused. The mes- 
senger was sent back without an answer. Then the 
King sent his myrmidons to arrest them, search their 
houses, and seize all their papers. 

The Commons spiritedly resisted this violence, and 
voting it a breach of privilege, commanded every 
member in the house to stand by his rights and de- 
fend his personal liberty. The King, now lost to all 
prudence by his rage, resolved to go next day in per- 
son, and arrest the accused. 

The Countess of Carlisle, sister of the popular Earl 
of Northumberland, became aware of the King's 
intention, and sent word to the five members, who 
were thus enabled to withdraw themselves from the 
House before the arrival of Charles. The Kins;, fol- 
lowed by an armed retinue of two hundred of his de- 
voted guard, proceeded to carry out his purpose. 
Leaving his soldiers at the door, he advanced singly 
through the hall. All the House rose to receive him, 
and the Speaker descended from his chair, which 
Charles took possession of, and said : " I come to tell 
you that I must have these men wherever I can find 
them. Well, since I see all the birds are flown, I do 
expect that you will send them to me as soon as 
they return." 

When the King cast his eyes about the House, 



80 Oliver Cromwell. 

looking as it were for these five members he sought, 
he asked the Speaker whether either of them were in 
the House. The Speaker, respectfully bending his 
knee, firmly replied: "I have, sir, neither eyes to 
see, nor tongue to speak in this place, but as the 
House is pleased to direct me, whose servant I am. 
And I humbly ask pardon, that I can not give any 
other answer to what your Majesty is pleased to de- 
mand of me." 

The greatest disorder ensued, and amid tumultu- 
ous cries of Privilege! privilege! the King departed, 
and the House adjourned. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE King, defeated in his desperate attempt upon 
the privilege of Parliament, and humiliated by 
the triumph of his enemies, was driven to despair, 
and sought refuge from contempt and danger, in fly- 
ing from his palace of Whitehall to Hampton Court. 
As he departed, crowds of the people of London ob- 
structed the j>assage of his coach, and one man more 
bold than the rest, approaching the carriage-door, 
cried out in the very face of majesty, using the words 
of the rebellious Israelites when they abandoned their 
reckless and ill-advised King Rehoboam, To your 
tents, Israel. 

The five members of the Commons, whom the King 
had attempted to arrest, were triumphantly conduct- 
ed to the House, with enormous processions by land 
and by water. The Thames was covered with boats, 
many of which were armed with large cannon, and 
equipped ready to give battle; and the mob con- 
temptuously demanded, as they passed the palace of 
Whitehall : " What has become of the King and his 
Cavaliers ? And whither are they fled f 

Charles was almost driven to despair, and appre- 
4* 



82 Oliver Cromwell. 

hensive of clanger to his life and to his family, soon 
left Hampton Court, and reached Dover, whence he 
sent his Queen Henrietta to Holland, that she might 
be in security, and be enabled to raise arms for the 
royal cause by pawning the crown jewels, which she 
bore away with her. 

The Parliament still kept up a show of respect 
for the royal authority, and continued in communica- 
tion with the King. While Charles w r as at Dover, 
he received a message from the Commons demand- 
ing his assent to a bill which appointed certain lieu- 
tenants of counties pledged to the popular cause, and 
authorized them to call out the militia in defense of 
the kingdom. This bill, as it gave the armed power 
of the country to be wielded at will by Parliament, 
was angrily resisted by the King, who, in spite of 
message after message, more and more peremptory, 
persisted in his obstinacy. Charles had now resolved 
to defend his prerogative by the force of arms. He, 
after a most affecting parting with his wife, whom he 
loved deeply, hastened with his two sons, the Prince 
of Wales and Duke of York, from Dover northward 
to the city of York. On his journey, he received an- 
other message from the pertinacious Parliament, de- 
manding the power of calling out the militia for a 
certain time. Charles angrily replied: "No, by 
God! not for an hour." 

The King found himself among devoted friends in 
the north. The great Earl of Newcastle, a power- 



Preparations for War. 83 

ful northern baron, was ready, with his retainers and 
his fortune, to rally round the monarch. Forty 
peers, the noblest of the realm, were also at his side, 
giving brilliancy to the court and substantial aid to 
his cause. Other devoted royalists flocked to the 
royal standard, which was now raised in the north 
as a signal of the commencement of hostilities, and 
upon which was a hand pointing to a crown with 
the words, " Give to Csesar his due." Large sup- 
plies of arms and ammunition, for which Henrietta 
had succeeded in pawning the crown jewels, arrived 
from Holland, in timely relief of the royal army, 
which had been disappointed of the possession of the 
magazine at Hull, containing the arms of all the 
forces levied against the Scots, which was success- 
fully defended by Sir John Hotham, the Parliament- 
ary governor, who was proof against the threats of 
the royal forces, and the seductions of the blandish- 
ments of majesty. 

The Parliament now accepted the challenge, and 
prepared for war. The bill for arming the militia 
was passed in spite of the King. The armies already 
raised for service in Ireland, were now enrolled un- 
der the authority of Parliament, and the command 
given to the Earl of Essex, a devoted adherent to the 
popular cause. Great enthusiasm prevailed in be- 
half of the Parliament. In London, four thousand 
men enlisted in one day, who solemnly pledged 
themselves to live and die with their general. 



84 Oliver Cromwell. 

Loans of money and plate in vast quantities were 
generously offered. The treasury was heaped up 
beyond its capacity, so that there were not enough 
men to receive or' stow away the offerings, and 
many were obliged to carry back their money and 
plate, until provision could be made for receiving 
the profusion. The women rivalled the citizens in 
their zeal for the good cause, and came with their 
jewels and vessels of silver, and even their thimbles 
and bodkins. 

The civil war had begun, and England must now 
choose between King and Parliament, and every 
man be ready to strike for the cause to which he 
pledges his all. No one doubts the choice of the 
Puritan Cromwell. He has from the first been on 
the popular side, and although more conspicuous as 
a religious enthusiast than as a political agitator, he 
believes true religion and good government so mu- 
tually dependent, that there can not be a firm faith 
in the one without a resolute will to establish the 
other. 

Cromwell shows his devotion to the popular cause 
by offering in Parliament the liberal sum of three 
hundred pounds towards the expenses of putting 
down the rebellion in Ireland. The name of his 
cousin, the patriot Hampden, appears in the same 
list with the subscription of one thousand pounds. 
Cromwell's contribution was a large sum for those 
days, and very liberal in proportion to his current 



Cromwell takes up Arms. 85 

revenue. He however was deeply interested in 
the cause of the Protestants in Ireland, to whom his 
religious sympathies attached him, and in whose be- 
half his resolute will caused him to exercise all his 
energies. In Parliament and out he made unceasing 
efforts towards the relief of the " suffering brethren" 
in Ireland. 

The civil war having begun, Cromwell rose 
in Parliament and moved that the townsmen of 
Cambridge be allowed to raise two companies of 
volunteers, and to appoint captains over them. He 
had already committed himself against the King, by 
the bold act of sending down arms into Cambridge, 
to arm his constituents in that town. He soon after 
left London, and took an active part at once, in en- 
listing soldiers for the Cambridge troop, and disci- 
plining it for duty. Nor was it long before he 
brought his fresh recruits into service ; for he seized 
the magazine in the Castle, and prevented the Roy- 
alists from carrying away the plate belonging to the 
University of Cambridge, amounting to no less a 
sum than twenty thousand pounds. 

Other members of Parliament had left London, 
and, like Cromwell, were busy in enrolling their 
followers and friends, and preparing for the great 
conflict. Throughout the land, agitation was tumult- 
uously rousing the hearts of the people, and discord 
dividing fellow-countrymen, neighbors, friends, and 
kindred. The two great parties, the Royalists and 



86 Oliver Cromwell. 

Parliamentarians, in which Englishmen were arrayed 
against Englishmen, brothers against brothers, were 
equally confident of triumph, as they gathered their 
armed forces and prepared for the cruel shock of a 
fratricidal war. The King was confident of the tri- 
umph of monarchy from the loyalty and chivalry of 
his nobles ; the Parliament trusted, for the establish- 
ment of constitutional government, to the people's 
resolute defense of their liberties ; while the timid 
lookers-on saw nothing but anarchy, confusion, and 
ruin to England, in the approaching civil war. 

Cromwell was confident, resolute, energetic, and 
gave up his whole soul to the popular cause. He 
was, from his abilities and devotion, a suitable man 
for the crisis, and was marked at once, and appointed 
by the Parliament to a command. In the Parlia- 
mentary army, of which the Earl of Essex was the 
general, and the Earl of Bedford commander of the 
cavalry, Cromwell was appointed to the captaincy 
of a troop of horse. His eldest son, Oliver, who 
was now twenty years old, was also made a cor- 
net in the Earl of Bedford's cavalry. Cromwell's 
cousin, the patriot Hampden, served as colonel, 
and was among the most energetic in recruiting in 
his neighborhood, and drilling his soldiers for the 
coming conflict. 

The blow was now to be struck on which was 
supposed to depend the fate of Parliament as well 
as King. The two armies approached to give battle. 



Battle of EdgeUll. 87 

The Parliamentary general, the Earl of Essex, with 
a force of 15,000, advanced and was met by the 
King, who, setting out with only 6000 men, gathered 
to his standard as he marched, double that amount. 
The battle was fought at Edgehill, near Kierton, 
in Warwickshire. Prince Rupert, the nephew of 
Charles, began the attack by one of those impetuous 
onslaughts with his gallant cavalry, for which he 
was so famous, and bore down all before him. He 
turned the right wing of the Parliamentary army and 
pursued them as they fled in confused rout for two 
miles. The uncontrolled impetuosity of the Prince, 
however, cost the royal army a fearful loss. Sir 
William Balfour, who commanded Essex's reserve, 
observing the fatal error of the Prince, wheeled 
round upon the infantry of the royal army, which 
was now completely abandoned to its fate by the 
absent cavalry in pursuit, and made a charge which 
resulted in a great slaughter of the King's soldiers ; 
the loss of Lindsey, the general, who was mortally 
wounded ; the capture of his son ; the death of Sir 
Edmund Verney, who bore the royal standard ; and 
the taking of the standard itself, which however was 
afterwards recovered by the King's forces. • 

There was now a pause between the contending 
armies. They faced each other, without venturing 
on either side to renew the attack, and they re- 
mained under arms on the field of battle during the 
whole night without striking a blow. All, soldier 



88 Oliver Cromwell. 

as well as officer, seemed averse to renew a battle 
which struck every English heart with the horror of 
the guilt of a brother's blood. Five thousand dead 
were counted on the field, and neither army could 
fairly claim a victory, when nothing but equal blood- 
shed was the result of the contest. 

A greater man than any of the heroes of the day 
was reclining under a hedge at a short distance from 
the scene of carnage and cruelty, perusing quietly 
a book, and meditating, amid the noise of the battle- 
field, the havoc of death, the deluge of blood and 
the cries of suffering, upon his noble art, the purpose 
of which is to relieve pain and save life. It was 
Harvey, the immortal discoverer of the circulation 
of the blood, who followed the fortunes of Charles 
I., of whose two children, the young princes, Charles 
and James, he had been appointed guardian, and 
who were then gambolling about him, in innocent 
ignorance of their father's danger, and their own 
future misfortunes. 

Cromwell fought at Edgehill, and no doubt did 
his duty faithfully at the head of his troop of the 
townsmen of Cambridge. He deeply deplored 
the great waste of life and the poor result of the 
sacrifice. His observant eyes quickly saw the weak- 
ness of the Parliamentary army, and his resolute 
will determined to remedy it. He told Hampden 
that there was no hope with a miserable set of undis- 
ciplined troopfe, drawn from the scum of the cities and 



The King in Adversity. 89 

towns, against the gentlemen and men of honor who 
fought for the King. Each soldier must have a 
great motive, a sentiment in behalf of the cause for 
which he fought. Our men must be men of reli- 
gion, said Cromwell; to which Hampden replied, 
it were a good notion, if it could be carried out. 

The Parliament was greatly alarmed by the first 
announcement on the part of some panic-stricken 
fugitives, of the battle of Edgehill, as a complete 
defeat of its army, but was soon relieved by the 
more encouraging statement of the truth. It was, 
however, now felt, that the war would be greatly 
prolonged. " We all thought one battle would de- 
cide it," said old Baxter. Such was, undoubtedly, 
the hope of the Puritans; but the first clash of arms 
at Edgehill, was now heard only as the " creeping 
murmur" of a dark uncertain future. A bloody 
civil war was the sad prospect for England, and both 
parties prepared for a long struggle, the result of 
which was beyond the power of human conjec- 
ture. The combatants were gathering their strength 
and putting forth their best energies for the fearful 
strife. 

The King in adversity was greater than upon his 
throne. The courage which had often failed him in 
the state now came to his support on the field of 
battle. He was prodigal of his life, and risked it 
fearlessly in every engagement. He was indefati- 
gable in labor, and shared equally with the com- 



90 Oliver Cromwell. 

monest soldier in the duties of military service. 
He gave all the orders in person, there was not a 
paper signed that was not carefully inspected by 
himself. On a march he frequently dismounted and 
put himself at the head of his army on foot. He 
submitted cheerfully to the same privations as the 
humblest soldier in the ranks. The fluctuations of 
fortune never disturbed his equanimity. Rising one 
day from the luxurious repose of a palace, he laid 
his head the next, without a murmur, beneath the 
thatched roof of a cottage. 

While the King was manfully struggling for his 
throne, the people were spiritedly striking for liber- 
ty. The Parliament showed great energy in pro- 
viding for the emergency. Its friends were organ- 
ized into associations throughout the country, to 
defend the popular cause. Cromwell was one of the 
most active members of these associations, and 
showed, by his activity and devotion, a fidelity to 
the cause, which already distinguished him as among 
the most prominent of his party. 

Cromwell, now become Colonel Cromwell, kept 
his troop of horse in full activity about Cambridge 
and the neighboring counties. He was now in Hunt- 
ingdon and again in Essex, protecting the friends of 
the good cause in one place, and punishing its ene- 
mies in another. He repressed the rising of the Eoy- 
alists in every quarter within his reach, and levied 
contributions from the enemy, without regard to the 



His Success at Gainsborough. 91 

old claims of personal friendship and kindred. By 
the energy and firmness of Cromwell, wonders were 
accomplished for the cause. Success followed every 
attempt which his bold spirit conceived and his 
prompt will executed. The Royalists, under the 
command of Lord Capel, threatened Cambridge, bent 
upon plundering and ravaging the town and neigh- 
borhood. Cromwell gathered his forces, and showed 
so formidable a front that the enemy fled in dismay. 
By the skill and energy of this stirring, resolute 
man, six counties, Lincoln, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridge, 
Herts, and Hants, were firmly bound to the popular 
cause, and freed from all danger from the Royalist 
attacks. 

He now directed his energies towards Lincoln- 
shire, and in a few days raised the siege of Croyland, 
which was rapidly followed by the taking of Stan- 
ford. 

The greatest military achievement, however, at 
this early period of the career of Cromwell, was his 
victory, near Gainsborough, over the Royalists, who 
were besieging that place. Cromwell's men, on their 
approach, met various detached parties of the enemy, 
and beating them back, succeeded in gaining posses- 
sion of the hill which commands the town. The ene- 
my was gathered in considerable force, chiefly of 
cavalry, to dispute the ground. When Cromwell's 
soldiers had reached the summit of the hill, before 
they had fairly recovered from the disorder of strug- 



92 Oliver Cromwell. 

gling up the ascent, the enemy was observed to ad- 
vance. Cromwell then led on his cavalry to a furious 
charge. The enemy manfully withstood the shock, 
and the combatants closed together, horse to horse, 
the ranks on both sides keeping firm while they fired 
at each other with their pistols, or thrust with their 
swords. The enemy began at last to shrink, when 
Cromwell pressed in upon them, and routed the whole 
main body, who fled in confusion down the hill. The 
enemy's reserve still stood firm, when Cromwell, 
drawing off a part of his cavalry from the pursuit, 
prepared to attack it. The enemy, however, antici- 
pated him, and set upon him with such spirit, that 
the men of Lincoln, who composed a part of Crom- 
well's force, were routed. Cromwell, however, fell 
upon the rear of the Royalists, and drove them down 
the hill into a marsh, where the general, young Ca- 
vendish, a youth of three and twenty, the son of the 
Duke of Devonshire, was thrust through the body 
by an officer of Cromwell, and killed on the spot. 
The marsh where young Cavendish fell, which exists 
as on that day, is still called "Cavendish's Bog." 
The victory was complete, and the town of Gainsbo- 
rough relieved. 

Cromwell gained greatly in repute by this success 
5 — a success the more distinguished in consequence of 
the general failure of the Parliamentary leaders in 
other parts of England. The Earl of Essex, who had 
won a high and well-deserved reputation in regular 



Victories of Royalists. 93 

warfare, had proved himself unequal to the unexpect- 
ed vicissitudes of a civil war. He had all the expe- 
rience of a veteran warrior, but wanted that quick 
apprehension of fortuitous occasion, which is an 
inspiration of genius. Trusting, therefore, to the old 
rules of strategy, he allowed himself to be mastered 
by system, and only struck when every thing pre- 
sented itself in accordance with established precedent. 
He was, therefore, too deliberative and temporizing, 
and found himself beaten before he had prepared to 
strike. He was forced to yield again and again to 
the Royalists, who were borne on to victory by the 
courageous impetuosity of Prince Rupert and the 
spirited Cavaliers. 

Sir William Waller, of whom great hopes were 
entertained, and who was termed by his popular ad- 
mirers William the Conqueror, was no less unfortu- 
nate than Essex. The Royalists were victorious 
everywhere — at Stratton, Lansdowne, and Bristol; 
and the King, with a large force, threatened a march 
on London, with a fair prospect of success and the re- 
establishment of his power. Charles, however, was 
diverted by the counsel of some of his timid advisers 
from this bold step, which was urged by the more 
impetuous of his friends, and was induced to lay siege 
to the city of Gloucester. 

To the defeats of the Parliamentary army was 
added the loss to the popular cause of the patriot 
Hampden, who was a tower of strength to his party. 



94 Oliver Cromwell. 

Great as a statesman, eloquent in debate, and wise in 
counsel, he had proved himself as a soldier no less 
skillful in command and valiant in action. Devoted 
to freedom and his country, he was and ever will be 
distinguished by the proud appreciation of English- 
men as the patriot Hampden. Courteous and amia- 
ble in manners, dignified and virtuous in conduct, he 
was beloved and respected, even by those whom he 
opposed with all the earnestness of conviction and 
the resoluteness of duty. The King even admired 
the incorruptible republican, and when he heard of 
his suffering, sent his own surgeon to his relief. 

Hampden was serving under Essex when Prince 
Rupert made an onset upon the encampment at the 
English town of Tame. The charge was unexpected, 
and the Prince succeeded in killing and capturing the 
greater part of two regiments, and retreated towards 
Oxford, where the King and his army were then sta- 
tioned. Hampden volunteered in pursuit, and came 
up with the Prince on Chalgrave field, and impetu- 
ously attacking the Royalists, was at once in the 
thickest' of the fight. Rupert, by his bravery and 
activity, succeeded in bringing off his prisoners and 
inflicting a severe lesson upon his pursuers. On the 
arrival of the Royalists at Oxford, one of the prison- 
ers reported that he was confident Mr. Hampden was 
hurt ; for he saw him ride off the field before the ac- 
tion was over, with his head bent, and his hands 
hanging loose upon his horse's neck. Next day the 



Death of Hampden. D5 

statement was confirmed. He had been shot by a 
pistol, two bullets having passed through the shoul- 
der, broken the bone, and inflicted a mortal wound. 
lie lingered a few days in great pain, and died, leav- 
ing a memory behind which will be cherished as long 
as the love of liberty survives in the soul of man. 

The embarrassment of the Parliamentary party 
now became very great. Not only beaten by the 
Royalists on the fair field of battle, it found its power 
attacked by secret enemies, and tottering from # the 
disorganization of faction and conspiracy. 

A secret league was formed among several mem- 
bers of the Parliament, for the purpose of ending the 
revolution, by combining the peers and citizens in 
opposition to the Commons, and reinstating the King. 
Edmund Waller, the poet, was the prime mover of 
this conspiracy. Belonging to one of the most influ- 
ential and wealthy country families of England, he 
had been early chosen a member of the House of 
Commons, where he was as remarkable for his elo- 
quence as he was distinguished in the world of litera- 
ture for his poetical genius. He was always eagerly 
listened to for his chaste oratory, and was such a 
master of satire and invective, that his attack was as 
much feared as his support was courted. Although 
pledged to the popular cause, he did not hesitate to 
raise his voice against the excesses of its impetuous 
promoters. 

A favorite in society, from his personal beauty, his 



96 Oliver Cromwell. 

courtly manners, and his polished conversation, he 
numbered among his admirers and friends the first 
men and the most beautiful women of rank in the 
land. From his moderate views as a Parliamenta- 
rian, and his intimate intercourse with the nobility, 
he was naturally chosen as a peacemaker between 
the opposing parties in the state. Unsuccessful in 
his public attempts, as a member of Parliament, at 
conciliation, he was, at an evil hour, induced to effect 
his purpose by the secret device of conspiracy. 

The plot was discovered, and the chief conspira- 
tors, Waller, Tompkins, and Chalmer, were arrested, 
tried, and condemned. The two latter were executed 
on gibbets in front of their own houses. Waller, 
frightened at the prospect of death, became so craven 
as to confess all he knew, and to implicate all who 
had ever favored, in the slightest degree, the defeated 
project. He expressed the deepest remorse, and 
sending for some of the Puritan clergy, affected a de- 
gree of religious concern for his wickedness, and peni- 
tence for his crime, that quite won over his spiritual 
advisers. He was pardoned on the score of being a 
penitent sinner, and on the condition of paying the 
handsome fine of ten thousand pounds, which his large 
fortune enabled him to spare, and the scant supplies 
of the Puritan party made them eager to accept. 

Waller now retired to the Continent, whence he 
returned under the Protectorship of Cromwell, whom 
he lauded in his verse, as he did Charles II., among 



Cry for Peace. 97 

whose courtiers he was the most devoted. On one 
occasion, being asked by his Majesty, how it was 
that his verses in honor of Cromwell— alluding to the 
" Panegyric" — so surpassed in excellence those " To 
the King on his Majesty's Happy Return," written 
to glorify royalty, he answered that poets always ex- 
celled better in fiction than in truth. Waller was 
first cousin of Hampden ; his father having married 
the paternal aunt of the patriot. He was also con- 
nected, through Hampden, with Oliver Cromwell, by 
whom he was always called ' ; Cousin Waller," whose 
aunt was the patriot's mother. These family alli- 
ances with the great leaders of the popular cause told 
greatly in favor of Waller, and probably were pow- 
erful influences in saving the poet's life. 

The Parliamentary party, thus beaten in the field, 
and undermined in the state, was in great and immi- 
nent danger of being triumphed over by the Royal- 
ists. The successful progress of the King, the defeat 
of the Parliamentary generals, the capture of Bristol, 
the siege of Gloucester, alarmed the people, and 
awakened a sympathy among the less resolute for the 
cause of the monarch, which seemed now in the 
ascendant. A cry for peace was raised in London, 
and crowds of women thronged about the House of 
Commons, and clamorously urged a petition in favor 
of reconciliation. So importunate were these peti- 
tioners that orders were given to disperse them, and 
a number of the women were killed in the conflict 
5 



v c/o Oliver Cromwell. 

which ensued. Some of the early friends of the popu- 
lar cause now openly deserted it ; the Earl of North 
umberland retired to his estate in the country ; Essex 
himself counselled peace; and several of the influen- 
tial members of Parliament went over to the King, 
and joined him in Oxford. 

The Puritans, however, who were the soul of the 
Parliamentary cause, bestirred themselves with great, 
spirit. Their preachers gave new vigor to their de- 
nunciations of Popery, and treated the "Scarlet 
Lady" with more than usual discourtesy. So effect- 
ive were their exhortations that the feeling of the peo- 
ple was again inflamed to the due temperature of re- 
volt, and the fire of civil war blazed anew. All 
thoughts of peace were now past, and new efforts 
made to carry on the struggle. 

Gloucester was the first point which appealed for 
aid. ■ The Royal army were before the city, kept in 
bay by the resolute attitude of the enthusiast Mas- 
sey, who was the Parliamentary Governor of Glou- 
cester. His garrison, however, was reduced to the 
last extremity, almost without food to sustain their 
lives, or powder to fire a shot against the enemy. 
Essex, with fourteen thousand men, was dispatched 
to their relief. On his approach the Royalists were 
obliged, in spite of their gallant resistance, to give 
way, and Essex entered Gloucester. One barrel of 
gunpowder, and a proportionate amount of provision, 
were all the supplies left to the brave garrison. 



Battle of Newbury. 99 

Essex, with his usual temporizing policy, avoided 
battle with the King's forces ; but on his march from 
Gloucester, was unexpectedly met by the Royalists,- 
and came to an engagement with them near New- 
bury. The battle was fought with desperate bravery 
on both sides; the undisciplined militia of London 
citizens, fresh from their shops, by their zeal and re- 
solute courage proved themselves a match for the 
chivalrous gallantry of the Cavaliers. The engage- 
ment was prolonged throughout the day, when night 
put an end to the action, and left the victory unde- 
cided. On the morning after, Essex pursued his 
march, much harassed by the King's forces in his 
rear, but reached London in safety, where he was re- 
ceived with acclamation. 

The Royalists had to mourn the loss of one of their 
most powerful leaders, and the country one of its 
greatest and best of men, Viscount Falkland, Secre- 
tary of State, who was slain at Newbury. Possessed 
of genius and refined traits, Falkland had followed 
the bent of his natural inclinations in the quiet en- 
joyment of a retirement adorned by the pursuits of 
learning, and sweetened by all the higher pleasures 
which wealth, guided by elevated sentiments, could 
bestow, when he was summoned into public life by 
the call of duty to his country. He was among the 
foremost in resisting by his courage the tyranny of 
the King, and defending the constitutional rights of 
his countrymen. He loved liberty, but he feared 



100 Oliver Cromwell. 

license ; and when the civil war began, he took sides 
with monarchy, though his love of liberty never for- 
sook him. He was as fearful. of the triumph of the 
Royalists as he dreaded the success of the Parlia- 
mentarians. He grieved for his country suffering in 
the agony of civil war, and was often heard, after a 
long interval of silence broken by sighs, to utter in a 
low tone the word peace. His natural gayety for- 
sook him, and his very person showed the mourning 
which shrouded his heart ; he became negligent in his 
dress and abstracted in manner. 

On the morning of the battle of Newbury, he had 
displayed unusual care in the adornment of his per- 
son, and, when asked the reason, replied, that the ene- 
my might find his body in decent attire, adding : " I 
am weary of the times, and foresee much misery to 
my country, but believe I shall be out of it ere 
night." Falkland was only thirty-four years old at 
his death. In the battle of Newbury fell also, at the 
early age of twenty-three, the Earl of Sunderland, 
the husband of the famous Saeharissa, immortalized 
by Waller. 

The Parliamentarians now strengthened their cause 
by calling to their aid the Scotch. A solemn league 
and covenant was entered into between the two king- 
doms, which secured to Scotland the reformed reli- 
gion as there established ; and to England the reform 
of the Church with the abolition of the hated bishops. 
The two parties pledged themselves to defend this 



Solemn League and Covenant. 101 

covenant by the force of arms, and thus the cause of 
the Parliament was strengthened by the active co- 
operation of the Scotch. 

The "Solemn League and Covenant" was duly un- 
rolled in St. Margaret's, Westminster, that church 
whose chimes were heard within the walls of the 
House of Commons. The assembly of divines pro- 
ceeded in procession, followed by the members of 
the House, to the Church, and, entering the chancel, 
first raised their hands as if invoking God to witness 
the solemn act, and then affixed their signatures to 
the document. Oliver Cromwell was among the ear- 
liest signers, and soon every Parliamentarian in the 
country, to the lowest drummer in the regiment, had 
pledged himself to the covenant. 

In the army which was enrolled to cooperate in 
the north with the Scotch, Cromwell was appointed 
to an important command. The Earl of Manchester 
had been commissioned by Parliament to raise a 
force in the eastern counties, and was now recruiting 
with great success, seconded by Cromwell, who was 
serving under him. In this part of the country 
Cromwell's aid was indispensable. He was the lead- 
ing man, not only in personal influence, from the fact 
of being a resident on the island of Ely, in that neigh- 
borhood, where he held considerable property, and 
of which he had been lately appointed governor by 
the votes of the people ; but he already commanded 
a most efficient . force of cavalry, with which he had 



102 Oliver Cromwell. 

succeeded in securing the eastern counties to the Par- 
liamentary cause. 

Cromwell had early seen the necessity of elevating 
the character of his soldiers by inspiring them with a 
noble motive. In a foreign war there is the common 
feeling of national antipathy and pride, which warms 
the heart of the least patriotic, and strengthens his 
arm against the alien in race ; but in a civil war — in 
a struggle between those of the same country and 
blood — there is no antagonistic national feeling, to 
inspirit the combatants. Cromwell knew that a sen- 
timent was necessary to his soldiers, and he deter- 
mined to inspire them with one of the most heart- 
stirring and abiding. Eeligion was the one thing 
needful, and Cromwell, whose sincere faith gave 
increased vigor to his resolution, determined that his 
men should be " brethren in the faith." He stirred 
up a feeling of religious enthusiasm among his sol- 
diers by means of frequent exhortations and prayer, 
in which he himself shared with the Puritan preach- 
ers, and thus succeeded in waking up a fervor of 
piety among his followers. He confirmed the inward 
feeling by a severe external discipline, and regulated 
the personal habits of his soldiers according to the 
rigid rules of a Puritan life. Preaching and praying 
were incessant among Cromwell's soldiers. When 
the drum beat to arms, the first duty was to listen to 
a chapter from the Bible ; on a march, psalms were 
sung ; on a halt, prayers uttered; When they went 



The Ironsides. 103 

Into battle the soldiers invoked the blessing of the 
Almighty, and the enemy was slaughtered in the 
name of the Lord. 

The daily habits of the camp were as strict as 
those- of a conventicle ; there was no drinking, no 
noise but the voice of praying and exhorting, no 
vain merry-making, and the proverbial trooper's sin 
of profanity was checked by the wholesome enact- 
ment, " Not a man swears but he pays his twelve- 
pence." Cromwell's troop, from their unconquerable 
firmness, were called Ironsides ; these were the men 
of whom their leader, whose resolute spirit was in- 
fused into every soul of them, could say with pride 
and truth, " They were never beaten at all." 

Cromwell and his brave men were soon called into 
active service, under the Earl of Manchester, and 
their courage tested to the utmost. While the royal 
army, under the Duke of Newcastle, was kept at 
bay, and finally beaten off from Hull, by Lord Fair- 
fax, with a Parliamentary force, his son, Sir Thomas 
Fairfax, formed a union with Cromwell, and gained 
a brilliant victory at Winceby, near Horncastle, in 
Lincolnshire. 

It was during the night that the Parliamentary 
force began to advance, and the march never ceased 
until morning, when they, halted near a neighboring 
hill, to await the coming up of the enemy, who were 
known to be advancing. The impatience of the 
Parliamentarians, however, urged them to hasten a 



104 Oliver Cromwell. 

collision by a further march, and they accordingly 
proceeded a mile onwards, when the Royalists gra- 
dually came into sight in the distance. At the view 
of the enemy, there was great manifestation of joy, 
and Cromwell's troopers who were in the van, com- 
menced singing psalms with intense vigor. 

The opposing forces met and commenced the en- 
gagement at Winceby, a village situate in the up- 
lands of Lincolnshire. The armies were pretty 
equally matched, although the Royalists outnum- 
bered the others in cavalry. The enemy began the 
attack with his mounted dragoons, and was spiritedly 
received by Cromwell and his famous troopers. On 
the first charge, Cromwell's horse was killed, and 
fell upon him. As he extricated himself and at- 
tempted to rise, he was struck down by the butt 
of a holster-pistol, but recovering at once from the 
shock, he was assisted to another horse by one of 
his troopers, and returned to the charge, which was 
so effectively served, that in less than half an hour, 
the enemy were completely routed. Sir Ingram 
Hopton, who was marked as the Cavalier who had 
unhorsed Cromwell and struck him afterwards to 
the ground, was killed in the engagement. The 
cavalry under Sir Thomas Fairfax and Cromwell, 
both of whom showed great valor, effected the defeat 
of the enemy, before the infantry, under the Earl of 
Manchester, had reached the field. This spirited 
achievement won great glory for the rising Colonel 



His Energy. 105 

Cromwell, and effectually secured Lincolnshire to 
the popular cause. 

Cromwell's active energies were fully occupied in 
the early part of the year 1644 in completing his 
conquest of Lincolnshire and protecting that county 
from further invasion by the Koyalists. He was 
diligently occupied in conveying ammunition and 
stores to the garrison at Gloucester, and otherwise 
serving the cause by his ever-ready aid and dili- 
gence. He found time, in spite of his busy mili- 
tary duties in the country, to present himself in his 
place in Parliament, and take part in the debate on 
the proposed negotiations with the King. A treaty 
was proposed, but as Charles still insisted upon the 
High-Church ordinances, and would come to no com- 
promise with Presbyterianism, it came to no effect. 
The House then persisted in its denunciations of the 
Church ceremonials, in which the Puritan Cromwell 
threw his whole heart, and we find him subsequently 
on his return from London, carrying out the Parlia- 
mentary enactments, in the Cathedral of Ely, where 
the Church dignitary was disposed to be refractory, 
and whom Cromwell silenced in his pulpit by the 
energetic summons : " Leave off your fooling, and 
come down, sir." 

It was by a motion of Cromwell in the House, 
that Lord Willoughby, on the complaint of ineffi- 
ciency and want of discipline in his troops, was re- 
5* 






106 Oliver Cromwell. 

moved from his command, and the Earl of Manches. 
ter substituted. 

Cromwell joined the Parliamentary forces in 
the north, which formed a junction with the Scotch 
army, and prepared to meet the Royalists, who were 
now strengthened by the English army from Ireland. 
The King had assented to a cessation of arms with 
the Irish council, in order to secure the aid of his 
forces which had been left in Ireland to keep down 
opposition to the English government. With this 
contingent from Ireland, came many Irish Catholics, 
who devoted themselves to Charles, and exercised 
the same cruelty and gave loose to the disorder, 
while serving under him, which they had been 
famous for in their own unruly country. 

The royal cause suffered greatly in English Puri- 
tan feeling, by this union with the Catholics ; and the 
popular cry against the Papists, became more loud 
than ever. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE Parliamentary army under the command of 
the Earl of Manchester, with Fairfax, Crom- 
well, and his Ironsides, in junction with the Scotch, 
led by Lord Levin, were closely besieging York. 
The Duke of Newcastle, with his Royalists, were 
vigorously defending that city. The besiegers were 
resolute and confident ; the besieged were brave and 
enduring. The Royalists, however, surrounded and 
cut off on all sides, were soon reduced to extrem- 
ity, and their position made desperate. The Parlia- 
mentarians were elated and joyful in the expectation 
of an early victory, and a reward to their long 
labors. 

Such was the position of both combatants, assur- 
ance on the one side and despair on the other, when 
an alarm was raised in the camp of the besiegers, 
at the news of the arrival of Prince Rupert at the 
head of a considerable force. This Prince, by one 
of his rapid movements, had hastened to the relief 
of York with twenty thousand men. 

The Parliamentary and Scotch generals now 
raised the siege, and drew up their forces on Mars- 



108 Oliver Cromwell. 

ton Moor, while Prince Rupert succeeded in joining 
the Duke of Newcastle, and eagerly counselled an 
engagement. Newcastle advised delay, but the 
more impetuous Prince rejected the discreet advice, 
and fortified his opinion by pretending to have posi- 
tive orders from the King to fight at once. The 
Duke took his contemptuous treatment much to 
heart, and leaving all to Rupert, declared that he 
would only take the field as a volunteer. 

The armies were equally matched ; twenty-five 
thousand British threatened an equal number of 
their countrymen. The combatants were not com- 
pletely drawn up until five in the evening, and they 
remained motionless, facing each other for an hour 
and a half. The battle at last began with great 
spirit, and the victory, with Englishmen matched 
against Englishmen, seemed hopeless on either side, 
and the only result certain was mutual slaughter. 

Prince Rupert, who commanded the right wing 
of the Royalists, was pitted against Cromwell and 
his famous troopers. The impetuous charges of 
Rupert's veteran cavalry were met by the steady 
ranks of the Ironsides of Cromwell without shrink- 
ing, and then returned with such vigor, that the 
Royalists were forced to yield. Sir Thomas Fair- 
fax and Colonel Lambert had, instead of turning the 
wing opposed to them, with great spirit but less dis- 
cretion, broken through the Royalist ranks, and 
•oined Cromwell in hot pursuit. 



Battle of Marston Moor. 109 

The regiment commanded by Newcastle stood 
their ground manfully, and with a determination to 
conquer or die, were killed almost to a man, and 
fell in death in the very ranks where they had so 
resolutely opposed the shock of the enemy. 

Lucas, the Royalist commander, brought his 
troops, through which Lambert and Fairfax had so 
gallantly dashed, again into order, and made so suc- 
cessful a charge upon the Parliamentary forces on 
the field that they were thrown into disorder. 
Cromwell, returning from pursuit came up to the 
rescue, and gained the day for the Parliament, by a 
total defeat of the Royalists, who were driven off the 
field. 

" We never charged," writes Cromwell in a letter, 
" but we routed the enemy." " God made them as 
stubble to our swords." " Give glory, all the glory 
to God," are the pious and sincere expressions in 
the same letter of the enthusiast Puritan. 

Cromwell lost a nephew in the battle of Marston 
Moor. " God hath taken away your eldest son 
by a cannon-shot. It broke his leg. We were ne- 
cessitated to have it cut off, whereof he died," writes 
Cromwell to the bereaved father, Colonel Valentine 
Walton, who had married his sister Margaret. 
Young Walton was overflowing with religious en- 
thusiasm, and there is a curious account of his 
death, where martial gallantry and pious resignation 
strangely commingle. His comfort from religion, he 



110 Oliver Cromwell. 

said, was so great above his pain, he could not ex- 
press it. To his uncle, and friend young Frank 
Russel, who were with him to comfort and relieve 
the youthful soldier in his dying moments, he said 
there was one thing which lay upon his spirit, and 
when asked what it was, replied : " That God had 
not suffered him to be any more the executioner of 
His enemies.'''' So great was the gallant exposure 
of his life in the battle, that he had four horses 
killed under him, and when he fell wounded him- 
self, he ordered the ranks around him to open to the 
right and left, that " he might see the rogues run." 

After the battle of Marston Moor, the Duke of 
Newcastle was lost to the Royalist cause. This 
nobleman's pride was deeply wounded by Prince 
Rupert's contempt of his counsels, and immediately 
after^ the engagement, in which he had shown his 
usual gallantry, he retired from the command and 
all active interposition in behalf of the King. His 
tastes were those of peace, and although his loyalty 
had called him to take a great and active part in the 
crisis of his Majesty, he preferred retirement to a 
public life. He even refined the rude duties of war 
by the gentle pursuits of literature and the arts. 
He had a poet for his lieutenant-general, Sir Wil- 
liam Davenant, whose poetical character depends 
not only upon his own productions, but from his 
being a reputed son of Shakspeare ; and sur- 
rounded himself in the camp with those who 



Essex's Failure. Ill 

courted Apollo and the Muses, rather than Mars 
and his armed followers. He now retired to the 
Continent, and though he lived in great poverty, 
was never seduced, from any appeal to his necessi- 
ties and promises of restoration to his great estates, 
to surrender his inactive but devoted loyalty to 
King Charles. 

After the success at Marston Moor, the Parlia- 
mentarians took possession of York, while the Scots 
in the same interest succeeded in taking Newcastle 
by storm. The Generals Essex and Waller had as 
usual failed in their attempts. The former at Les- 
tiethel in Cornwall, and the latter at Coopredy 
bridge, were defeated by the King's forces. Essex 
was driven from point to point, and finally reduced 
to such extremity that he was fain to escape in a 
boat at Plymouth, and leave his soldiers at the 
mercy of the Eoyalists, to whom they surrendered 
on the 1st September, 1644, which was hailed by 
the King as a memorable day of triumph. 

The Parliament, instead of visiting the failure of 
Essex with rebuke, generously received that general 
with favor, and magnanimously offered him, as well 
as the unfortunate Waller, another command. A 
combined effort was now to be made by a junction 
of forces under Waller and the Earl of Manchester. 
Essex remained in London in consequence of illness, 
the reality of which there were not wanting some to 
suspect. 



112 Oliver Cromwell. 

This army of combination now marched to check 
the King, who was returning to Oxford elated with 
his victories over Parliament. The combatants met 
at Newbury, the scene of a farmer success of the 
popular cause. The struggle was a bloody one, but 
being prolonged into the night, the Royalist forces, 
although they had got the worst of it, were enabled 
to retire without a complete defeat. Cromwell 
urged pursuit, but was overborne by his superior in 
command, the Earl of Manchester. Our hero was 
again resisted in his energetic advice to attack, when 
a few days afterwards, the King openly came to the 
relief of Denington Castle, a fortress in the neigh- 
borhood. 

From difference of opinion, the Earl and Crom- 
well, came to fierce altercation, and finally to open 
quarrel. To Cromwell's daring impetuosity, Man- 
chester opposed his timid prudence. To the impor- 
tunate demands of the former for action, the latter 
answered, if they lost this army in pursuit the King 
would hang them all. 

Cromwell now hurried to London, and impeached 
the commander-in-chief, before Parliament. He 
charged the Earl of Manchester with backwardness 
to end the war by the sword, professed inclination 
for peace, his neglect to take advantage of the ene- 
my, especially at Denington Castle, and his absolute 
will, in rejecting the advice of the council of war. 

Manchester defended himself at great length, and 



Self-Denying Ordinance. 113 

retorted upon Cromwell various charges. That 
Lieutenant-General Cromwell, on one occasion, had 
been ordered to a rendezvous with the catalry, and 
had answered, the horses were already worn off their 
feet, and that, if his lordship wanted to have the skins 
of the horses, that was the way to get them. That 
he had said, " there never would be a good time in 
England till we had done with lords .;" and moreover 
had been heard to declare, that " If he met the King 
in battle, he would fire his pistol at the King as at 
another." 

Cromwell, finding that the feeling of the House was 
not in favor of decided measures against the Earl, was 
politic Enough to assume a conciliatory tone, and de- 
clared that his purpose was not a personal one, and 
that he would not insist upon the complaint against 
the commander-in-chief; but he urged upon the Par- 
liament, in his usual positive and emphatic manner, 
the necessity of vigorous action and the sacrifice of 
all personal feelings and considerations to the good 
of the cause. 

A. self-denying ordinance, as it was termed in 
accordance with the religious phrase of that day, 
was passed by Parliament, in which the members 
pledged themselves to renewed and exclusive de- 
votion to the great cause, and by which both 
Houses were mostly excluded from office. A 
clause in this act, which allowed military service, 
without the condition of signing the covenant, gave 



114 Oliver Cromwell. 

rise to the sectarian division of Independents and 
Presbyterians. The former were for perfect free- 
dom from all ecclesiastical government ; the latter 
in communion with the Scotch Church, submitted to 
the control of a General Assembly. The Scotch 
took great umbrage at this action of the Parliament, 
for which Cromwell was held responsible, and he 
was denounced by them as an incendiary. The 
Kirk considered the Independents as rebels against 
their hierarchy, and they were disposed to be as 
spiritually absolute in their way as the Pope of 
Rome himself. 

The Parliamentary generals, Essex and Manches- 
ter, were deprived of their commands, bnt con- 
ciliated, the former with a pension, and the latter 
with office. Essex died soon after, and was more 
regretted for his honorable character than for the 
loss of his services. 

An army of twenty-two thousand men was now 
recruited, and being thoroughly remodelled and dis- 
ciplined, the command was given to Sir Thomas 
Fairfax. Although by the " self-denying ordinance," 
which excluded members of Parliament from a mili- 
tary command, Cromwell himself would appear to 
be divested of his rank, yet either by a politic 
manoeuvre of his friends, the Independents, or from 
his usefulness, he was retained, and now joined Fair- 
fax, as Lieutenant-General, commander-in-chief of 
the horse. 



His Arrival in Camp. 115 

Cromwell's arrival in the camp with his famous 
troopers was welcomed with great acclamation. 
His presence was hailed as a sure omen of victory. 
His resolute will, his prompt action, and his untiring 
perseverance inspired the army with confidence, 
and they began to see in this impromptu soldier a 
man inspired by genius for military command. 

The two armies approached each other, that of the 
King from the north, and the Parliamentary forces 
from the south. The Royalists had left Oxford, 
where they had been stationed, and were on the 
march to relieve Chester, when intelligence was re- 
ceived that the siege of that city had been raised, 
which caused the King's army to return towards Ox- 
ford, which the Parliamentary army, under Fairfax, 
was approaching to seize in the absence of the King. 
The Royalists, on their march southward, had taken 
Leicester by storm ; and the wild, disorderly soldiers 
of the King had given a free rein to their "passions, 
and committed a sad havoc by cruelty and rapine. 

Fairfax was determined to check, without delay, 
the victorious progress of the King's forces, which 
was striking terror into the popular party ; and ac- 
cordingly, leaving Oxford in his rear, marched north- 
wards to meet the approaching enemy. Both armies 
had arrived within a half-dozen miles of each other 
without being aware of their near neighborhood. 
King Charles called a council of war. There were 
those who counselled delay until the Royal army 



116 Oliver Cromwell. 

might be strengthened by the arrival of various con- 
tingents coming up from Wales and different parts 
of England. Prince Rupert, however, who was 
always for the boldest expedient, urged an imme- 
diate march against the enemy, and his impetuous 
advice prevailed. 

Fairfax and his generals never hesitated a mo- 
ment. They were all to a man for striking at once, 
and pushed on with eager anticipation of victory. 
On the 14th day of June, 1645, the two armies met 
and fought the famous battle of Naseby. The scene 
of the memorable struggle was an elevated space 
amid. the broken moorland, which lies a dreary waste 
for many miles in the neighborhood of the small vil- 
lage of Naseby in Northamptonshire. 

The Parliamentary army took its position on one 
height, and the Royal forces on the other, while be- 
tween them stretched a level space pf table-land. 
The two armies were equally matched in numbers. 
There were about twenty thousand on either side. 
The centre of the Royalists w T as commanded by King 
Charles in person ; his right, 'by Prince Rupert ; and 
the left, by Sir Marmaduke Langdale. Fairfax, sup- 
ported by Skippon, led the main body of the Parlia- 
mentarians, with Cromwell commanding the right 
wing, and his son-in-law, Ireton, the left. 

The attack was begun by Prince Rupert, who led 
on his horse against the left wing of the enemy with 
his usual impetuous vigor, and bore down the oppos- 



Battle of Naseby. 117 

ing ranks with precipitate fury. Ireton was run 
through the thigh by a pike at the first charge, but 
continued the fight with undaunted courage, although 
wounded, until he was surrounded by numbers and 
taken captive. Rupert showed his usual reckless- 
ness, and imprudently led away his cavalry in pur- 
suit of the fugitives and plunder, while he should 
have sustained the main body. 

The centre was brought, by the King leading in 
person, who manoeuvred like a skillful general, and 
fought like a veteran soldier, into collision with the 
main body of the Parliamentarians. Fairfax, second- 
ed by Skippon, received the King with spirit, and 
manoeuvred his forces with able generalship. The 
King had the advantage at the first, and the infantry 
of the Parliament gave way before the brisk charge 
of the Cavaliers. Charles was pushing on, forgetful 
of all personal danger, into the very midst of the en- 
emy, and fighting hand to hand with the opposing 
combatants, like the hero-kings of old, when one of 
the devoted loyalist officers, observing his exposure 
and risk, laid his hands upon the rein of the King's 
horse, and entreating his Majesty not to endanger 
himself, with a rapid movement turned him back 
from the battle. His soldiers perceiving this ma- 
noeuvre, and thinking that Charles was retreating, 
became panic-stricken and fled. The King turned 
again at once to face the enemy, and strove to rally 
his troops, crying out : " One charge more, and ive re- 



118 Oliver Cromwell. 

cover the day /" In the mean time Fairfax brought 
up his reserve, and made a charge upon the Royal- 
ists, while in disorder, with great effect. Skippon, 
the Parliamentary officer, was severely wounded in 
the conflict, and was urged by Fairfax to leave the 
field, but answered that he would remain as long as 
a single man stood his ground. The Royalists re 
sisted with great courage, but finally gave way. One 
regiment, however, was observed by Fairfax to main- 
tain its ground. On this general remarking upon the 
fact to the captain of his life-guard, and upbraiding 
him for not having cleared the field, he was answered 
that two charges had been already made upon them, 
and although desperately assailed, their steadfastness 
had remained unshaken. Another charge was or- 
dered, while Fairfax himself attacked the regiment 
in the rear. These brave Royalists were thus com 
pletely crushed between two opposing forces. 

Cromwell, with his troopers, had effectually dealt 
with the King^s left wing early in the engagement, 
and was enabled to give timely aid to Fairfax in fin- 
ishing the main body of the Royalists, and winning 
the great victory of Naseby. 

The defeat of the King was total and irretrievable. 
He lost about five thousand men, about a thousand 
of whom fell on the field, and the rest, officers and 
men, were taken prisoners. All his artillery and 
ammunition were gone, and among other spoils 
which fell into the hands of Fairfax was the cabinet 



The Parliament- Generals. 119 

of the King, containing his private papers and letters. 
Among the papers were copies of three letters ad- 
dressed by Charles, in the confidence of affection, to 
his Queen Henrietta. These were full of fond ten- 
derness, and expressed a devotedness as a husband, 
which was intended as an impulsive offering of love, 
and not as the cool policy of the ruler of a nation. 
The Parliament affected to have discovered a mine 
of treason in the simple expression of the royal con- 
sort that he would embrace no measure not approved 
of by his Queen. The letters were published as evi- 
dences of royal treason. Hume, from his store of 
classical studies, illustrates the barbarism of the rude 
Puritans by the contrasting refinement of the pol- 
ished Athenians. "The Athenians," says Hume, 
;; having intercepted a letter written by their enemy, 
Philip of Macedon, to his wife Olympia, so far from 
being moved by curiosity of prying into the secrets 
of that relative, immediately sent the letter to the 
Queen unopened. Philip was not their sovereign, 
nor were they inflamed with that violent animosity 
against him which attends all civil commotions." 

The Parliamentary generals gained greatly in re- 
pute by the success at Naseby. Fairfax, Cromwell, 
Skippon, and Ireton had proved themselves the ablest 
generals, while their men, the most indomitable of 
soldiers. Fairfax's fame for his. brilliant achieve- 
ments on that day is best illustrated by his own 
words. He had, in the engagement, killed an ensign 



120 Oliver Cromwell. 

and taken the colors, which he gave to a soldier to 
keep for him. The fellow, afterward boasting that 
he had won this trophy, was reproved by an officer 
who had been a witness of the occurrence. "Let 
him keep that honor," said Fairfax ; " I have won 
enough to-day beside." 

The Independents began to gain in ascendency 
throughout England. Oliver Cromwell, Vane, St. 
John, and Fiennes gave great weight to the party by 
their acknowledged leadership. The religious princi- 
ple of leaving to the individual conscience the par- 
ticular belief naturally leads to toleration. Although 
such a principle, when pushed to extremes by reli- 
gious enthusiasm, may give vent to every variety of 
doctrine, grotesquely shapened by the eccentric va- 
garies of each fanatic, it still claims freedom for the 
conscience, and is opposed to persecution for opinion's 
sake. 

All kinds of irregularity undoubtedly followed the 
promulgation of the views of the Independents dur- 
ing the political and religious disorder of the civil 
war. Every one whose imagination was heated by 
the religious enthusiasm of the times, fancied himself 
inspired, and having thrown off all subjection to ec- 
clesiastical authority, and bowing to no creed, and 
obeying no pastor, erected himself into a sanctuary, 
where he worshipped with all the sincerity and ear- 
nestness of self-devotion. Religious opinions became 
as various as personal existences. It mattered not 



The Independents. 121 

what was the position or occupation of the indi- 
vidual : if a religious enthusiast, he became a divine ; 
and if a divine, a preacher in course. So soldiers, 
cobblers, and tinkers, expanded with the spiritual 
afflatus, floated up from the ranks, the stall, and the 
shop, to the elevation of the pulpit. With all kinds 
of teachers came, of course, all varieties of doctrine. 
Sects and sectaries abounded in every regiment in 
the army, and at every street-corner in the town. 
These differed from each other in all other respects 
but in the opposition* to Popery, and were tolerant- 
of all religions but that of the Episcopal and Roman 
churches. Though the principles of the Independents 
would seem naturally to lead to toleration, they were 
among the bitterest in their persecution of prelacy 
and Popery. 

Laud's execution was urged with an unceasing 
thirst for the blood of the prelate by the leaders of 
the Independent party. The Archbishop was finally 
sacrificed, and suffered on the block, courageously, at 
the last moment turning the edge of the vindictive- 
ness of his eager persecutors, by the spirited declara- 
tion : " No one can be more willing to send me out 
of life than I am desirous to go." He was badgered 
to the last by some of the pertinacious sectaries, and 
was worried into a confession that he trusted to the 
merits of good works for his salvation — a fatal doc- 
trine in the belief of his heated opponents. 

The Parliamentarians now swept every thing be- 
6 



122 Oliver Cromwell. 

fore them throughout England. Bristol was the only 
point of importance left to the Royalists, which Fair- 
fax, seconded by Cromwell, now wrested from the 
hands of Prince Rupert. Great hopes had been en- 
tertained of the safe-keeping of this town under the 
guardianship of the bold Prince, but a poorer defense 
was made than of any place during the war. This 
last failure reduced the King to the greatest extrem- 
ity ; he was driven before the victorious enemy, from 
town to town, fortress to fortress, and finally escaped 
to Oxford, whence, after a few months, he fled in the 
disguise of a servant to Scotland. 

Cromwell was busy with his troopers in complet 
ing the triumph of the popular cause, and rooting out 
every stronghold over the country, where the Royal- 
ist at bay struggled desperately to the last. 

Among these was Basing House, the residence of 
the Marquis of Winchester. This was one of the 
most princely mansions in the kingdom, and its lordly 
j)ossessor lived there with all the state and court of 
a king. It was so strongly fortified that every at- 
tempt of the Parliamentary army to take it had hith- 
erto proved vain. It had resisted siege after siege 
for four years, and the Parliamentarians had suffered 
so much in their fruitless efforts against this strong- 
hold, that the Royalist wits called it Basting House. 
The fortifications about it were a mile in circum- 
ference, and the fortress was garrisoned with over 
five hundred men-at-arms, and provisioned for a long 



Basing House. 123 

siege. In a report to Parliament, it was stated that 
sufficient provisions were stored in it for years ; no 
less than four hundred quarters of wheat, divers 
rooms full of bacon, cheese, beef, pork, and oatmeal, 
and divers cellars full of beer, and " that very good." 

The halls, state-rooms, and chambers were of great 
magnificence. The furniture was splendid and costly ; 
one bed alone was valued at £1300. Cromwell 
brought his artillery to bear upon this renowned for- 
tress and palatial mansion, and having succeeded in 
making a breach, clashed in with his troopers, who 
showed no mercy to the brave defenders, and no re- 
gard for the magnificence with which they were sur- 
rounded, but massacred, plundered, and destroyed 
life, property, and ornament. The Marquis of Win- 
chester, who spiritedly declared, on being summoned 
to surrender, that if the King had no more ground in 
all England, than Basing House, he would maintain 
it to the uttermost, was taken prisoner with the ladies 
of his household, and some devoted friends, and- his 
magnificent mansion burned to the ground. A heap 
of ruins remains to this day, to show the effectual 
work of Cromwell and his ruthless troopers. 

A large number of the country people in some 
parts of the rural districts of England had herded to- 
gether professedly to protect themselves and pro- 
perty from the marauding incursions of the armies 
of both sides, but in reality to aid the royal cause. 
They were called Clubmen, from the fact of being 



124 Oliver Cromwell 

armed with bludgeons, and became the terror of the 
whole neighborhood round. To Cromwell was as- 
signed the duty of ridding the country of them, and 
he, by his usual prompt conduct, put an end to the 
Clubmen at once, and thus relieved his party from a 
most serious and increasing evil. 

The energetic action of the Parliamentary gene- 
rals, Fairfax and Cromwell, had now effectually 
cleared England of the Royalists. The King was a 
prisoner in Scotland, at the mercy of the Covenant- 
ers, who had defeated the gallant young Earl of 
Montrose, in whose loyal devotion and spirited efforts 
for the royal cause Charles had rested his last hope. 
The failure of this ally bereft the King of his only 
chance, and he was now — after the storms of civil 
war, by which he had been tossed about for four 
years — stranded, a wreck of majesty, on inhospitable 
Scotland. The King was beset by the fanatic Cove- 
nanters, who strove first to jeer him, and then force 
him into conformity with their over-strained religious 
opinions. 

The divines and pulpit-orators took every occasion 
when they could get the King for a listener, to re- 
mind him of the evil of his ways, and ransacked the 
Bible and psalm-books for a supply of spiritual ar- 
tillery by which they might effectually storm hereti- 
cal majesty, and force it to surrender. On one occa- 
sion, a Scotch preacher, having reminded the King, 
in very plain terms, of his sins, and the certain pros- 



The King delivered up. 125 

pect of eternal damnation, gave out this psalm to be 

sung : 

""Why dost thou, tyrant, boast thyself 
Thy wicked deeds to praise ?" 

Charles, who never lost his presence of mind, rose on 
the instant, and called for the psalm beginning : 

"Have mercy, Lord, on me, I pray; 
For men would me devour." 

The congregation were carried away by the clever 
retort of his Majesty, and good-humoredly gave the 
preference to Charles's psalm, and sang it lustily. 
The King w r as proof to the insults, threats, and en- 
treaties of the Scotch Covenanters. The Presbyte- 
rians, who were still the dominant party in the Eng- 
lish Parliament, were in constant negotiation with 
the Scotch, striving to prevail upon Charles to bind 
himself to the Covenant, and thus recognize the Pres- 
byterian government in Scotland and England. The 
King, who persisted in his refusal to the last, actuated 
both by religious scruples and the hope that a blow 
might yet be struck for falling majesty, was finally 
delivered a captive by the Scotch into the hands of 
the English Parliament. 

Charles was playing a game at chess, when the 
resolution to deliver him up to his enemies was an- 
nounced. He quickly returned to his game after 
having read, with perfect composure, the letter which 
conveyed the intelligence. When the English com- 



126 Oliver Cromwell. 

missioners arrived to take him into custody, he re- 
ceived them as courteously and cheerfully as if their 
visit had been one of compliment. The King was 
conveyed as a close prisoner, under a strong guard, 
to Holdenby in Northamptonshire. On his route, 
crowds of his subjects thronged about him : those 
who were his enemies respected his misfortunes, and 
silently observed the fallen monarch ; his friends fol- 
lowed him, weeping and invoking blessings upon his 
head. With the rendition of the King, the Scots re- 
ceived the sum of £200,000, which two events the 
Scotch sense of honor does not care to have connected 
as cause and effect. 

Cromwell was now in his place at Westminster, 
where the Parliament was in session with many new 
members. Of these there were Colonel Blake, after- 
wards the famous admiral, Algernon Sidney, Colonel 
Hutchinson, who was the husband of the Mrs. 
Hutchinson so favorably known by her Memoirs — a 
domestic history of virtue and self-sacrifice, to the 
pages of which we turn as to a book of prayer from 
the bloody records of public life in those disturbed 
times. 

The Parliament had lost one of its most able and 
devoted men in the death of Pym. Beloved by one 
party as he was hated by the other, he has been 
placed only a little lower than the angels by his 
friends, and ranked among the demons by his ene- 
mies. He was one of the prime movers of the revo- 



Death of Pym. 127 

lution, and to his bold resistance of power and able 
support of popular rights, the people's cause was 
greatly indebted for its success. His incessant labors 
to promote the interests of his country are supposed 
to have shortened his life ; and such was the disin- 
terested character of the man, that, with all the 
tempting occasions his many offices offered for en- 
riching himself, he died in poverty. Parliament 
gratefully voted to pay the debts he had left behind 
him. 

The great question which occupied Parliament, 
and in which Cromwell took a leading part, was the 
negotiation with Scotland in regard to the King. 
Now that Charles was a captive, and all active resist- 
ance from the Royalists had ceased for the present, 
the sympathy of the people began to be awakened 
for the suffering monarch. Fears for their liberty, 
too, were alarming the public mind, from the danger 
of aggression on the part of a large unoccupied army. 
A petition was presented from the citizens of Lon- 
don, and urged with tumultuous impatience, demand- 
ing peace with his majesty, and the disbandment of 
the soldiers. Parliament was greatly agitated in 
the discussion of this petition, and began to show 
symptoms of that disorganization which finally broke 
out into open factious quarrel, with the Independents 
on one side and the Presbyterians on the other, with 
the army arrayed against the city of London. The 



128 Oliver Cromwell. 

Londoners, however, were for the present repressed 
by the strong hand of power. 

The sectarian quarrel between the Independents 
and Presbyterians grew more and more bitter. The 
army sustained the former, and the citizens of Lon- 
don the latter. Uniformity of religious doctrine to 
be openly declared by the act of signing the cove- 
nant was insisted upon with great pertinacity by the 
Presbyterians, and resisted with equal resolution by 
the Independents. England showed its determina- 
tion of asserting a freedom from control in matters 
of religion, by indulging in all kinds of sectarian 
vagary. Anabaptists, Brownists, Socinians, and an 
endless succession of grotesque sectaries, tricked off 
with shreds torn from true belief, colored by their 
own fantastic imaginings, and tacked together by 
patches of homely linsey wolsey stuff of home man- 
ufacture, now desecrated the holy places and turned 
the sanctuary into a masquerade of mummers and 
mountebanks. 

The Presbyterians held still the ascendency in 
Parliament, and the platform of church government 
recommended by the Assembly of Divines at West- 
minster, was passed after a severe struggle. The 
Presbyterians were for a time triumphant, but the 
people were preparing to throw off this new ecclesi- 
astical tyranny, which, although not covered with a 
surplice, was quite as overbearing, far less decent, 
and no more endurable. 



The Presbyterians against the Army. 129 

The army was the great hope of the Independents, 
as it was the fear of the Presbyterians. The latter 
now strove to get rid of the armed host of twenty 
thousand men, who were as formidable as enemies 
as they had been powerful as friends. The balance 
of power was now undoubtedly with the armed 
soldiers. The Parliament proposed to dispose of 
this dangerous element in the body politic, by send- 
ing twelve thousand soldiers into Ireland, and dis- 
banding the rest. The army resisted the Irish ser- 
vice, and claimed their arrears of pay and the relief 
of certain grievances, before it would consent to 
disband. 

The Presbyterian party, excited by this opposi- 
tion on the part of the soldiers, lost all moderation, 
reached the intemperate pitch of voting in Parlia- 
ment a declaration that " the army was an enemy to 
the State and a disturber of the public peace." 
Cromwell, though prominent as a leader of the In- 
dependents, and influential beyond all others in the 
ranks of the army, was reserved and politic in his 
Parliamentary conduct. When some of the officers 
were charged with leaguing together in favor of 
Charles, and with having declared that " if the King 
would come to them, they would put the crown on 
his head," Cromwell is said to have rebutted the 
slander with great spirit, and to have remarked to 
Ludlow, who sat by him in the House, alluding to 
the intemperate virulence of .the Presbyterians : 
6* 



130 Oliver Cromwell. 

" These men will never leave till the army pull them 
out by the ears." 

A deputation was appointed by Parliament -to 
confer with the army about its claims aiid griev- 
ances. Cromwell headed this delegation, and per- 
formed the duty so much to the satisfaction of the 
House, that its special thanks were voted him. The 
result was supposed to be perfect agreement and 
settlement of all difficulties. When, however, the 
disbanding was to take place in accordance with the 
mutual understanding between the government and 
soldiery, the latter resisted and openly defied the 
Parliament, by establishing a Parliament of their 
own, and voting the offers of the former unsatisfac- 
tory. Certain Parliamentary commissioners were 
again appointed to confer with the army in regard 
to its grievances. Cromwell did not now form one 
of this body, but went down to join the army, and 
has always been supposed to have been the instiga- 
tor of the bold act of seizing the person of the King. 

Charles was at Holdenby, in close imprisonment, 
when Joyce, who was formerly a tailor, but then a 
cornet of dragoons, put himself at the head of five 
hundred troopers, and captured the monarch. 
Joyce, armed to the teeth, followed by his soldiers, 
broke into the apartment of the King, and told 
his majesty that he must instantly go with him. 
" Whither ?" said Charles. " To the army," replied 
Joyce. " By what warrant?" inquired the monarch. 



The King in the hands of the Army. 131 

Joyce pointed his finger to the troopers, arranged in 
fierce array behind him. " Your warrant," replied 
the good-humored King, " is written in fair charac- 
ters, legible without spelling." 

The Parliamentary commissioners, who came in, 
demurred, and wanted to know whether Joyce was 
fortified by orders from the Parliament, and receiv- 
ing a very decided " No," to this inquiry, declared 
that they would write to Parliament to know their 
pleasure. The resolute Joyce replied, that they 
were welcome to do so, but in the mean time the 
King should go with him. Charles was then con- 
ducted to the army near Cambridge. On the route 
he was met by Colonel "Whalley, under orders from 
Fairfax, the commander-in-chief^ who offered to re- 
lease his majesty from the custody of Joyce, but 
Charles would not consent, secure in the hope of 
restoration to power, through the influence of the 
army. This event created great consternation in 
Parliament, as this arbitrary act made them fear 
the aggression of the soldiery. 

The army marched towards London. ' The capi- 
tal was in a state of great alarm. A petition signed 
by Fairfax, Cromwell, who is supposed to have 
drawn it up, Lambert, Ireton, and the principal offi- 
cers, was now sent up to Parliament, stating the 
grievances and claims of the soldiers. Eleven mem- 
bers of the House of Commons, leaders of the Pres- 
byterian party, were accused, by the army, of trea- 



132 Oliver Cromwell. 

son, and their dismission demanded. The ' Parlia- 
ment was forced to comply. The citizens of Lon- 
don were enraged at this compliance, and became 
clamorous for resistance to the encroachments of the 
army. They presented a petition insisting upon the 
calling out of the militia, and the revocation of the 
act by which the eleven members were condemned. 
Crowds of the London apprentices, armed with clubs 
and staves, thronged the doors of the House, and 
with a tumultuous voice, and with the most insolent 
bearing, urged the granting of the petition. It was 
granted, and a slight show of resistance to military 
aggression was made by the government. But 
finally terms of reconciliation were agreed upon, 
and the army invited to enter the capital. 

The King was now conveyed to Hampton Court, 
where, although a prisoner, he was treated with 
courtesy and deference by the military officers. 
Cromwell was in daily intercourse with his ma- 
jesty, and was marked in his attentions and dili- 
gent in his services to the fallen monarch. Charles 
was now allowed to enjoy the society of his friends; 
the presence of his chaplain, who was permitted the 
daily use of the English liturgy ; the correspondence 
of his absent queen ; and the happiness once more 
of being surrounded by his children, whom he loved 
with the tenderest affection. His sons, the Dukes 
of York and Gloucester, and the Princess Elizabeth, 
children of a tender age, who had been long sepa- 



Hi 



<u 



mony between the King and Cromwell. 133 

rated from the King, were now gathered about him, 
and nestled fondly about their captive father, quiet- 
ins: with mutual soothings of love their distracted 
hearts. Cromwell was present at their first meeting, 
and was so deeply affected that he wept. 

The monarch's hopes were now greatly elevated 
by the struggle that was going on between the an- 
tagonistic parties in the state, the Presbyterians and 
Independents, the citizens and army. The court 
paid to him by the military leaders especially, 
showed the King how greatly his possession by 
them was esteemed a preponderating weight in their 
favor, and he would frequently say to Cromwell, 
with whom he daily spoke with unreserved confi- 
dence : " You can not be without me ; you can not 
settle the nation, but by my assistance." 

Cromwell, whose influence with the army was 
all-powerful, was oourted in turn by the monarch, 
and began to believe that Charles rested his all upon 
him. The King, however, had also been in secret 
negotiation with the Scotch, and their offers to sup- 
port him with an armed force and strike a blow for 
the crown, were in more conformity with his views 
of kingly dignity and his private feelings, than in 
making terms with the aspiring Cromwell and his 
fanatic soldiers, whose independent forwardness he 
disliked, and whose power he feared. 

The King was in constant correspondence with his 
Queen Henrietta, who was in France. In his letters, 



134 Oliver Cromwell. 

which were always full of the tenderest affection of 
a husband towards the wife whom he loved, there 
was also the freest communication of his policy as a 
king, to the Queen, whose judgment he respected, 
and in whose fidelity he confidently reposed. The 
King having written one of his usual letters to Hen- 
rietta, gave it in charge to a domestic. The serv- 
ant secreted the letter in the lining of his saddle, 
and having mounted his horse, spurred on for Do- 
ver, whence he was to proceed to France, and de- 
liver to the Queen the King's letter. 

Cromwell having been informed by one of his 
spies, with whom he had surrounded the King, 
of the intended dispatch, and its place of conceal- 
ment, was determined to possess himself of it, and 
thus learn the real views of the King. So Crom- 
well, making a confident of his son-in-law, Ireton, 
the two took horse, and rode rapidly to Windsor, 
where they awaited at the roadside inn the coming 
up of the messenger whom they had preceded by a 
few hours. 

It was night when Cromwell and Ireton, disguised 
as travellers, rode up to the inn. Ordering the 
hostler, as they dismounted, not to unsaddle their 
beasts, although the animals were sorely chafed 
and blown by hard riding, and appeared greatly in 
need of refreshment, the two travellers entered, 
and calling for beer, seated themselves at a table in 
the traveller's room which was full of the miscella- 




Capture of the King's Messenger. 



p. 135. 



The King's Views discovered. 135 

neons guests that gather at night, in an inn, on the 
high road of travel, and famous for a good tap and 
excellent cheer. Cromwell and Ireton joined in 
heartily with the convivality that was circulating, 
taking care, lest their faces might be recognized, to 
keep out of the glimmer of the dim light of the 
apartment. They thus waited far into the night, 
when the spy they had engaged ' for the service, 
announced to them that the King's messenger was 
approaching. Cromwell and Ireton ordered their 
horses on the instant, and rode off at a gallop. On 
the messenger coming up, the two drawing their 
sabres, advanced upon him and brought him to a 
halt ; saying that they had orders to stop and search 
all travellers. Then making the messenger dis- 
mount, Cromwell took off his saddle and rode off 
with it to the inn, and then took out the letter. The 
messenger having in the mean time arrived, his sad- 
dle was restored to him, as if it had been undis- 
turbed, and he continued his journey, thinking that 
all was right, and that he still bore the royal letter. 
Cromwell now perused the King's .missive, with 
deep interest, and then received a fatal blow to the 
project, if he had ever entertained it, of securing 
Charles to the cause of the army, and thus advanc- 
ing, through the King, whatever might have been 
the ambitious designs of himself and the other mili- 
tary officers. The King wrote to Henrietta that all 
the factions were striving for his countenance, but 



136 Oliver Cromwell. 

that his own choice was in favor of the Scots. 
Cromwell and Ireton returned fully persuaded that 
there was no hope for their cause from the King, 
and in the moody disappointment of these men, as 
they rode together in the darkness of the night, now 
silent and now muttering their discontent in brief 
words of violence, there was the threatening of a 
storm, which was to overturn a throne, kill a king, 
and convulse a nation. • 

The King was now more closely watched, and his 
guard doubled ; but Charles, in spite of bars, spies, 
and guards, succeeded in making his escape. Ac- 
companied by three attendants, Sir John Berkeley, 
Ashburnham, and Leg, his majesty pushed on to- 
wards the Channel, with the hope of finding a vessel 
which was to be in readiness to convey him to the 
Continent. The King and his three friends rode 
during the whole night, and succeeded in arriving at 
Titchfield, where, being disappointed of the expected 
vessel, he resolved upon going to the Isle of Wight. 
He accordingly crossed to that island, and put him- 
self under the protection of Hammond, the govern- 
or, who, although serving under the Parliament, was 
supposed to be favorably inclined towards the King, 
from the influence of his uncle, Dr. Hammond, a 
devoted chaplain of Charles, and from his own con- 
ciliatory conduct during the civil war. Hammond, 
faithful to the interests of his party, dispatched im- 
mediate word to the Parliament, and was ordered 



Cromwell's Family. 137 

to confine the King in the stronghold of Carisbrooke 
Castle. 

Cromwell's family had long since removed to 
London, where his increasing influence with the 
government kept him in busy activity. His sons 
had arrived at maturity, and were serving in the 
army. His eldest, Oliver, of whose death his father 
so pathetically spoke in these words, " It went to 
my heart like a dagger, indeed it did," had fallen in 
battle. Richard, who was now the eldest, and 
Henry were both officers. The former was ena- 
mored of the daughter of Richard Mayor, Esq., a 
gentleman of wealth and dignity, being the lord of 
the manor of Hurley, near Winchester. There was 
some delay in consequence of a disagreement as to 
marriage settlements, but the marriage finally took 
place. Two of Cromwell's daughters were married, 
one to Mr. Claypole, and another to Ireton, the 
brave companion in arms of his father-in-law. The 
two remaining daughters were in the course of time 
also wedded, one to t Lord Eanconberg, and the 
other to the Hon. Mr. Rich, grandson of the Earl 
of Warwick, and subsequently, being left a widow, 
to Sir John Russell. 

Cromwell was now, although nominally subordi- 
nate to Fairfax, the most influential man in the 
army, who readily bent the more yielding disposi- 
tion of his superior in command to his iron will, 
and was acknowledged as among the chiefs of 



138 Oliver Cromwell. 

the Independent party. His services were openly 
declared by Parliamentary vote, and liberally re- 
warded by settling upon him the estates of the Mar- 
quis of Worcester, the annual revenue of which 
was supposed to amount to more than three thou- 
sand pounds. Cromwell liberally contributed on 
the receipt of this grant, an annual allowance of one 
thousand pounds towards the expenses of the Irish 
war for five years, provided it should last so long, and 
at the same time gave up the arrears due to him as 
lieutenant-general and governor of Ely, amounting 
to more than fifteen hundred pounds. This was an 
evidence of patriotic devotion, which proves a disin- 
terestedness on the part of Cromwell, which his ene- 
mies have been loth to give him credit for. 

Cromwell's advancement was jealously watched by 
his opponents, and enviously obstructed. Lilburn, a 
leader of the Levellers, who was punished, as we have 
seen, with Prynne, for his intemperate zeal, and who 
had been defended by Cromwell in Parliament, now 
appeared as that great man',s accuser, and charged 
him with having intended to have made his own bar- 
gain with the King, by which he was to receive a 
coronet as Earl of Essex. This charge finds some con- 
firmation in the King's letter which was intercepted 
on the road by Cromwell and Ireton, where it is said 
that " instead of a silken garter, these rogues," allud- 
ing to Ireton and Cromwell, " should be fitted with a 
hempen cord." Cromwell's vigor and promptitude 



The Levellers put down. 139 



ie 



soon silenced his opponents. The Levellers were tl 
radicals of the day, and boldly professed their deter- 
mination to seize the King and destroy him, and all 
who counselled a moderate policy, were especially 
obnoxious to them ; and of course Cromwell, who, at 
that time, was disposed to save the King, came in for 
his share of their hatred. The Levellers had even 
succeeded in gaining some ascendency, and creating 
a spirit of mutiny in the ranks of the army ; but 
Cromwell promptly crushed the dangerous faction by 
the discharge of eleven of the suspected, and by rid- 
ing into the ranks, seizing and shooting the ringlead- 
er, Arnold, dead on the spot. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CROMWELL had succeeded by his resolute cour- 
age in repressing the insurrectionary spirit in 
the army, but he found it useless and dangerous to 
resist the republican feeling which was now evidently 
the prevailing tone in the ranks. Cromwell and Ire- 
ton had excited for a while the opposition of the 
party who refused all terms with monarchy, and were 
bent upon a new form of government for England, 
but now courted this faction with great solicitude, 
and were soon welcomed and acknowledged as its 
leaders. 

The King's pertinacious resistance to the proposi- 
tions of the Parliament confirmed these leaders in 
their republican sentiments and revolutionary con- 
duct. In the debate which arose upon the refusal 
of Charles, Cromwell stood up in Parliament and 
emphatically declared : " That it was time to answer 
the public expectation ; that they were resolved to 
govern and defend the kingdom by their own power, 
and teach the people they had nothing to hope from 
a man whose heart God hardened in obstinacy." 
This was a declaration of war with royalty, which put 



The King encouraged. 141 

an end to all hopes of conciliation, and pledged Crom- 
well's all to the struggle against the King. His life 
was now staked on the issue, and the resolute man 
was prepared to meet the chances without fear and 
without hesitation. 

The conduct of the King in rejecting the terms of 
the Parliament was in consequence of his having ac- 
cepted the offers of succor from the Scots, who now 
prepared to march to his aid with an army of forty 
thousand men. The "Royalists in England, too, were 
encouraged by this formidable show in Scotland ; and 
they, seconded by a large portion of the Presbyte- 
rians, who were threatened by the domination of the 
Independents, in Parliament and in the army, began 
to rise throughout various parts of the kingdom in 
favor of the King. 

Charles remained a close prisoner in Carisbrooke 
Castle, but, in spite of his guards he kept up' a corre- 
spondence with his friends, and was fully informed 
of the increasing sympathy with his sufferings and 
the efforts made in behalf of his cause. He was 
greatly encouraged by the intelligence he received. 
An insurrection had broken out in London, and a 
mob had gathered in tumultuous assemblage, attacked 
an armed troop, stoned the captain, taken away his 
colors, and riotously thronged through the streets of 
the capital, crying out : " King Charles !" " King 
Charles !" They had been dispersed by the authori- 
ties, only to reassemble in greater numbers, when 



142 Oliver Cromwell. 

they broke into the arsenal, supplied themselves with 
arms and ammunition, struck terror into the city, 
and forced the Lord Mayor to fly to the Tower for 
protection. The Scots were threatening, London was 
in insurrection, the country was disturbed, the Pres- 
byterians factious, the Royalists in high spirits, and 
as the crown was the rallying cry of all these discord- 
ant parties, the King looked out of his prison-bars 
with the cheering hope of coming liberty. 

Charles now became impatient, and, one dark 
night, made an attempt to escape from the Castle. 
Having made sure of one of the guard, who provided 
him with the necessary ropes to lower himself, and 
selecting the hour when this man was on duty, he 
made an attempt to pass his body through the win- 
dow, but found that there was not space enough ; and 
there he remained struggling, unable to go either 
way, until at last, giving up all hope of getting out, 
he was fain to content himself with trying to get 
back, which he succeeded in doing with great diffi- 
culty, luckily before his attempt to escape was dis- 
covered. Charles had frequently passed his head 
through the bars, and presuming upon the common 
notion that where the head can pass the body can fol- 
low, he tried the experiment with the unsuccessful 
result we have stated. The King formed various 
plans of escape, and was provided by his friends with 
silken rope-ladders to descend from the walls, and 
powerful acids to corrode the iron bars of his prison- 






The Royalists again in Arms. 148 

windows, but no successful attempt ensued. His 
friends, however, without were making a great effort 
for his cause, and soon England was all ablaze with 
a fresh civil war. The loyalists were showing a for- 
midable front, not only on land, but at sea ; for the 
fleet had hoisted their flag for the King, and with the 
Prince of Wales on board were prepared to do bat- 
tle for royalty. 

The men of Kent boldly marched upon London, 
but were beaten back by Fairfax, and although they 
rallied, were again forced to retreat. The Royalists 
had risen in great force in Wales, and were triumph- 
ing in success after success, when Cromwell was sent 
down to quell the insurrection, and, with his usual 
promptitude, did quell it. Having effectually settled 
matters in that quarter, Cromwell makes all speed 
to meet the Scotch, who are advancing in large force 
under the command of the Duke of Hamilton. The 
English forces under Lambert were too small to re- 
sist the incursion of the Scots, and they accordingly 
retreated before them until the junction of Cromwell 
at Preston in Lancashire. Here the onward progress 
of the Duke of Hamilton and his twenty thousand 
Scotch was stopped by Cromwell, who, with the small 
force of eight thousand, so vigorously and promptly 
strikes the enemy, that they are completely bewil- 
dered by the unexpected blow, and routed in great 
confusion. No less than two thousand of the Scotch 
were slain, and nine thousand taken prisoners. The 



144 Oliver Cromwell. 

Duke of Hamilton was so completely discouraged by 
this overwhelming defeat, that he lost all power of 
resistance, and retreating before Cromwell into Staf- 
fordshire, without venturing upon striking a blow in 
his defense, finally surrendered himself, and shortly 
afterward was beheaded for treason. 

Cromwell, pursuing the fugitives into Scotland, 
finally reached Edinburgh, where he took up his 
quarters in Moray House, which exists in good pre- 
servation to this day in the Canongate. The author- 
ities entertained Cromwell with great honor; ho 
was invited to a banquet in the castle, where the Earl 
of Leven, the Marquis of Argyle, and various lords 
and dignitaries did the honors. The ministers spoke 
from their pulpits of Cromwell as the preserver of 
Scotland under God, and even the people looked with 
favor upon the victorious English general who had 
conquered their countryman, the Duke of Hamilton, 
whose expedition in behalf of King Charles had not 
been popular. Cromwell, having done much for his 
cause by his presence in Scotland, now returned to 
England. 

The mutinous fleet, with Prince Charles on board, 
was in the Downs, and threatening London. Now 
would seem to have been the occasion for the son to 
have rescued his captive father. While the Prince 
was hovering about the English coast in the imme- 
diate neighborhood of the Isle of Wight, nothing 
could have been easier than to have made a descent 



Prince Henry forgetful of his Father. 145 

upon that island and torn the imprisoned monarch 
from the grasp of his jailers. The son, however, 
never showed the slightest disposition to do what 
affection should have prompted and duty have per- 
formed. The poor King wrote to entreat his son to 
come to his aid ; but whether it was heartlessness, an 
usurping ambition, or the counsel of his advisers, the 
Prince did not listen to his father's appeal, and raised 
not a finger for nis relief. 

The Parliament vigorously-prepared to resist this 
formidable opposition of the fleet by immediately 
commissioning a new one, and giving the command 
to a devoted adherent of the popular cause, the Earl 
of Warwick. Prince Charles did not care to come 
to an engagement, and sailed back to Holland, pur- 
sued by the Earl of Warwick, who succeeded, with- 
out firing a cannon, by politic management, in per- 
suading the English seamen to return to the alle- 
giance of the government. Thus all the English 
ships, and the greater part of their crews, were re- 
stored to the service of the Parliament. 

Cromwell's decisive victories everywhere gave 
great influence to the Independent party, on whose 
side he threw all his weight ; and now that the Pres- 
byterians had failed, in consequence of mutual obsti- 
nacy on the score of religion, in making a treaty with 
the King, which they for months had been negotiating 
at Newport in the Isle of Wight, the Independents 
were evidently the power in the kingdom. This 



146 Oliver Cromwell. 

party, including the army, was opposed to all nego- 
tiation with Charles, and now loudly called for the 
abolition of monarchy, and the remodelling of the 
government. 

Cromwell now determined to possess himself of 
the person of the King. Hammond, the governor of 
the Isle of Wight, was an attached friend of Crom- 
well, and the latter used all the influence that natu- 
rally comes from an intimate friendship to persuade 
Hammond to hold the person of the King at the dis- 
position of the army. The Governor, being back- 
ward in yielding this point, was at once deposed, and 
a willing instrument, Colonel Ewer, put in his stead. 
A squadron of horse, under Cobbet, was dispatched 
to second the orders given to Ewer. It was now de- 
termined to remove Charles from the Isle of Wight. 
When Charles was abruptly informed of the intended 
removal, he was greatly disturbed, and asked whither 
he was to be carried. No satisfactory answer was 
given. His Majesty, though sustained in courage, 
now evidently gave up all for lost. His friends and 
attendants were greatly alarmed for the safety of 
their monarch, and, gathering about him, kissed his 
hand, bathing it with tears, and prayed God tjiat he 
would uphold their King in his affliction. The King 
was deeply moved by the tenderness of his friends, 
and parted from them with marks of deep sorrow. 
Charles was then conveyed during the night, while it 
stormed and poured with rain, to Hurst Castle, a 



The King in Hurst Castle. 147 

gloomy prison, which stood a lonely tower, com- 
pletely surrounded by water, on the rough coast of 
England. The dismal castle, with its darkness and 
lonesomeness within, and beaten by the sea and the 
storm without, recalled to the monarch bereft of his 
power and his friends, and beset by the storms of 
revolution and the angry clamor of his enemies, his 
defenseless majesty and his impending fate. He was 
appalled by his* position, and now, for the first time, 
his courage yielded to the fear of danger to his life, 
and he was in constant alarm, lest that, in his lone- 
some prison, he might be sacrificed by the hands of 
his enemies. Assassination, however, never sug- 
gested itself to the most inveterate of the King's op- 
ponents, and England, even in the anarchy of revolu- 
tion, was reverent of law. 

The Parliament, in which the Presbyterians still 
retained a majority, came now into open collision 
with the army. The remonstrance of the spldiery 
against treating with the King, was thrown out by 
the Presbyterian majority, and a letter from the gen- 
eral-in-chief, Fairfax, demanding arrears of pay for 
the army, and threatening to take it where he could 
get it, if not promptly settled, was declared " a high 
and unbeseeming letter." The army now issued " a 
declaration," which was submitted to Parliament, in 
which an appeal to the people was threatened, and 
the House of Commons informed that the army was 
on its march to London. The House voted that a 



148 Oliver Cromwell. 

letter should be written to Fairfax, that it was their 
pleasure that he should not advance his army any 
nearer to the capital. 

While the Parliament continued to debate, the 
army took up their march in spite of votes and reso- 
lutions. The question of the King's answer to the 
Parliamentary propositions was being debated on the 
resolution that it be deemed satisfactory, with great 
warmth ; the Presbyterians striving for the affirmative, 
and the Independents as strenuously for the opposite, 
when the army marched into London. This was the 
second of December. The House now adjourned 
until the fourth, when they spiritedly voted that the 
seizure of the King by the army was without the 
consent of Parliament. 

The debate on the King's answer was now re-, 
sumed and continued under great excitement during 
the day and throughout the night until next morning. 
The Independents, led by Sir Harry Vane and Sir 
Henry Mildmay, in bold language denounced the 
King as a tyrant, and declared for a commonwealth. 
The Presbyterians, however, carried the day, and re- 
solved, by a majority of thirty-six, that the conces- 
sions of Charles were sufficient grounds for settling 
the peace of the kingdom. 

Cromwell, aware of the approaching crisis, hurried 
to London from the north, leaving the siege of Ponte- 
fract, which he had begun, to be completed by Lam- 
bert, On his arrival the army were engaged in what 



Pride's Purge. 149 

is called the " purging" of the house. On the 6th 
December, a troop of horse and a regiment of foot — 
the former under the command of Colonel Rich, and 
the latter under Pride, were ordered for the duty of 
the day to Westminster. The horse were drawn up 
in the palace-yard, while the infantry guarded the 
doors, stair-cases, and halls of the House of Com- 
mons. Colonel Pride, from whom the event of the 
day has been called " Pride's Purge," stood at the 
main entrance, with Lord Grey, of Groby, stationed 
at his side, who was familiar with the name and per- 
son of every member of Parliament. Pride holds in 
his hand a list of the hundred and twenty-nine Pres- 
byterian members; and as each one presents him- 
self to enter the house, Lord Grey declares who he 
is, and if he be one of the Presbyterian leaders, the 
guard is called by the Colonel, and the obnoxious 
member marched off to the Queen's court. Forty- 
one members are thus disposed of, not without strong 
protestations from each one of them, who demands the 
cause of this violence, and by what law his privileges 
as a member of Parliament are thus abused. 

Cromwell does not appear as taking an active per- 
sonal part in that scene of violence, but was undoubt- 
edly, as the most influential officer in the army, the 
leading instigator of the high-handed exercise of 
power. The first proceeding of the Commons was to 
demand from Colonel Pride, the liberty of the impri- 
soned members, which was peremptorily refused. 



150 Oliver Cromwell. 

On the next day, Colonel Pride again stationed 
himself at his post, and the seizure of the Presbyte- 
rian members was continued until over a hundred in 
all are violently withdrawn, leaving the Independ- 
ents, who only amounted fo some fifty, in sole con- 
trol of the government. They were called the 
" Rump." Cromwell receives a vote of thanks for 
his services in the north, from the "purged" house, 
and is thus prominently marked as the leader of the 
now predominant party. 

The sacrifice of the King, and the establishment of 
a republic, were now the great purposes of the Inde- 
pendents. The preachers prepared the people for 
the coming event, by passionate denunciations of 
Charles and monarchy from their pulpits. Reverend 
Hugh Peters, the Independent minister, who had 
commenced his career as one of the exhorters follow- 
ing the army, had served Cromwell, to whom he was 
always devoted as Secretary, and was cherished by 
the sectaries as one of the most gifted of their preach- 
ers, preached on Sunday, in the pulpit of St. Marga- 
ret's, Westminster, from the text : " Bind your king 
with chains, and your nobles with fetters of iron." 
This enthusiast was by no means mealy-mouthed in 
his holdings forth, and he termed Charles the great 
Barabbas, murderer, tyrant, and traitor. 

The Parliament now met, and of course the Inde- 
pendents swept every thing before them. A com- 
mittee of thirty-eight was appointed to draw up 



The King removed. 151 

charges against the King, and an ordinance passed to 
the effect that Charles was a traitor to England. The 
House of Lords unanimously rejected this ordinance 
when sent up to them for their assent, whereupon the 
Commons, closing their doors, declared themselves, 
by a unanimous resolution, as representatives of the 
people, the supreme power in the nation, and all 
their enactments law, even without the concurrence 
of King or Peers. 

A strong troop of horse, under the command of 
Colonel Harrison, was now dispatched to Hurst Cas- 
tle, to bring the King to Windsor. In the middle of 
the night Charles was aroused by the tramping of 
horses and the letting down of the draw-bridge. He 
immediately called his attendant, Herbert, to his 
bedside, and asked him the cause of the noise, and 
was told that it was Harrison. The King, believing 
his last hour come, and ordering Herbert to with- 
draw, arose and fell upon his knees, and continued in 
earnest prayer for more than an hour. On the re- 
turn of his attendant, Charles, who was in perpetual 
dread of assassination, told him that Harrison was 
the man who was to do the deed. " I trust in God," 
exclaimed the King, " who is my helper, but I would 
not be surprised ; this is a place fit for such a pur- 
pose." Charles then burst into tears, but was com- 
posed by Herbert, who, having gone out to obtain 
further intelligence, returned, stating that Harrison 
had only come to remove him to Windsor. On 



152 Oliver Cromwell. 

morning breaking, the King was summoned to make 
ready for his departure. He started, escorted by a 
troop of horse, at the head of which was Harrison, 
gallantly arrayed with a velvet Montero cap on his 
head, a new buff coat on his back, and his waist gird- 
ed with a crimson silk scarf, richly fringed. On the 
King presenting himself, Harrison courteously sa- 
luted him, which his Majesty condescendingly re- 
turned. 

This was the feared assassin ; but Charles confessed 
that his appearance was very much in his favor, and 
so far lost his dread of him as to take him by the 
arm when they alighted at a roadside inn on their 
route, and converse with him for half an hour or so. 
The King frankly confessed his suspicions, and stated 
that he had been put on his guard against him. Har- 
rison declared what had been reported of him was 
false ; that all he had ever said was, that justice had 
no respect of persons, or something to that effect. 
The King regained his spirits during the journey, and 
was pleasant and social with the officers of his guard. 
On the 23d of December, the King arrived and took 
up his quarters in Windsor Castle. 

Charles's hopes again revived, and he deluded him- 
self with the prospect of an early delivery, through 
the interposition of the army in Ireland under Lord 
Ormond. He retained his cheerfulness, and made 
himself quite merry with the intemperate doings in 
Parliament. The rumor of a trial he treated as a 



The King encouraged. 153 

jest, and had no fear of his coming out unscathed 
from the persecution of his enemies. So little dis- 
turbed was he by their proceedings, that he busied 
himself with the frivolous amusements he took so 
much delight in, and played his chess without a 
thought of the serious game that was going on, which 
was to result in the loss of his life and of a king to 
England. On one occasion he ordered some melon- 
seeds to be preserved, that they might be planted in 
his garden at Wimbledon, as if he looked forward to 
a long future of enjoyment. 

On the 6th of January, the ordinance for the trial 
of the King was passed by Parliament. A High 
Court of Justiciary was established, to consist of one 
hundred and twenty-five commissioners. Among 
these were Fairfax, Cromwell, Ireton, Waller, Skip- 
pon, Harrison, Whalley, Pride, Ewer, Tomlinson, of 
the army ; several lords, various members of Parlia- 
ment, some aldermen, law officers, baronets, country 
gentlemen, and citizens. There never met, at any 
time, more than eighty of all these. Fairfax was 
only present during the first day of the session. 

The trial was appointed for the 20th of January. 
In the mean time the House of Commons voted that 
the great seal of England should be broken, and a 
new one struck with the inscription on one side 
" The Great Seal of England," and on the other, " In 
the First Year of Freedom, by God's blessing re- 
stored 1648." 

7* 



154 Oliver Cromwell. 

Westminster Hall was the scene of the august 
trial of a monarch by his people. The King was 
conducted from St. James's Palace, whither he had 
gone some clays before, to the court in a sedan, and 
was placed in a chair covered with velvet, facing his 
three judges, the Lord-President Bradshaw, Lisle, and 
Say. The King, as he entered, looked sternly about 
upon the court and the people, and took his seat, re- 
taining his hat, as did the three judges and all the 
commissioners. Cromwell was seated at the extreme 
end of the hall, directly under the arms of the com- 
monwealth, which were displayed on a large shield 
and attached to the wall. Every approach to the 
hall, and all its avenues, were guarded by soldiers 
armed to the death, while the galleries and the portal 
were thronged with eager spectators. 

The Lord-President, Bradshaw, opened the court 
by calling the names of the commissioners. Sixty 
only answered. When " Fairfax" was called, an an- 
swer came from the gallery: "He has too much 
sense to be here." When Bradshaw spoke of the 
charge against Charles being in the name of the peo- 
ple of England, the same voice from among the spec- 
tators cried out : " No, not half, the people." Lady 
Fairfax, the wife of the Parliamentary general, was 
supposed to have been the spirited woman who thus 
dared to disturb the august court. Fairfax himself 
was never present at the court, since the first prelim- 
inary meeting, and evidently shrunk back from the 



Trial of the King. 155 

last bold step, and his wife's sympathies had been 
strongly wrought up in behalf of the unfortunate 
monarch. 

The King had, from day to day, protested against 
the power of the court, and refused to answer. His 
judges, however, continued the trial, presented the 
charges, examined the witnesses, and proceeded to 
pass sentence. On the last day of the trial, the mon- 
arch, as he entered the hall, was received with angry 
shouts of "Justice ! Justice ! Execution ! Execu- 
tion 1" and some of the rude soldiers are said so far 
to have dishonored themselves as to throw their 
pipes at, and spit upon, the fallen King. One soldier, 
however, was so affected by the meek bearing of 
Charles, that he uttered as he passed : " God bless 
you, sir !" His officer struck the poor man, which 
the King noticing, made him remark : " Methinks, the 
punishment exceeds the offense." 

The Lord-President, Bradshaw, proceeded to pass 
sentence, the King struggling in vain to be heard 
now at the last moment that his obstinacy had yield- 
ed, and he desired to speak in his defense. Brad- 
shaw, with his loud voice, silenced the King's feeble 
words, and addressed him thus : " What sentence the 
law affirms to a traitor, a tyrant, a murderer, and a 
public enemy to the country, that sentence you are 
now to hear. Make silence ! Clerk, read the sen- 
tence !" Charles Stuart was then sentenced " to be 
put to death by severing his head from his body." 



156 Oliver Cromwell. 

The King raised his eyes to heaven, and entreated to 
be heard. " Sir," replied Bradshaw, " you can not 
be heard after sentence." The monarch, deeply 
moved, inquired, in tones of despair: "No, sir'?" 
" No, sir," was the peremptory answer. " Guards, 
remove your prisoner." The unfortunate King still 
struggled to utter a word, and stammered out : " I 
may speak, by your favor." "By your favor." 
" Hold !" thundered out Bradshaw, and the monarch 
was borne away by the guard, still struggling for 
utterance, and calling out, in his spasmodic efforts at 
speech : " Sentence." " By your favor." The crowd, 
as the doomed King passed through them, cried out 
again: "Justice!" "Justice!" 

Charles's death was inevitable, and he now prepared 
to meet the event with the dignity that became a 
King. Although his fate appealed to the sympathy 
of all the crowned heads of Europe, there was not a 
royal brother to utter a word in behalf of the fallen 
monarch. It was reserved for a repubjican govern- 
ment, that of the United Provinces of the Nether- 
lands, to make the only intercession for the doomed 
Charles. The interference was courteously received 
by England, and a dignified answer returned to the 
effect, that the Commons had proceeded according to 
law, and as they leave all other nations to move ac- 
cording to their own rights and laws, so they hope 
that none will think ill, if they act according to those 
of England. 



The King prepares to die. 157 

Henrietta Maria, the Queen, had long forgotten 
her vows as a wife in the wicked embraces of her 
lover, Jermyn, whom she married soon after the 
death of the King ; but she wrought herself up to the 
extent of writing an affecting letter to the Speaker 
of the Commons, praying to be permitted to try her 
best to save the King, or, at any rate, to administer 
by his side to the last moments of her husband. 
Prince Charles wrote also a letter, in which inclosing 
a carte blanche, signed and sealed, he offered any 
terms which the leaders of the army or of the state 
might demand as a condition of saving his father. It 
was all vain. 

The King prepared for his death, and asked for the 
aid of his faithful friend, Bishop Juxon, to pray with 
him, and console his last moments with the holy ser- 
vices of the Church. This was granted without hesi- 
tation, as well as the request that his heart might be 
refreshed with the society of his children, the Prin- 
cess Elizabeth and the Duke of Gloucester, the for- 
mer thirteen, and the latter nine, all of his family 
who were then in England. 

The 30th day of January was appointed for the 
execution. On the morning before, the King had 
taken an affecting farewell of his children. He took 
his daughter in his arms, and clung to her a long 
time, kissing her and weeping plenteously. The 
King charged the princess to tell her mother that he 
had been always faithful to her, even in thought. 



158 Oliver Cromwell. 

His son he took upon his knees, and said : " They 
are going to cut off your father's head." The child 
looked inquiringly at the King, with the air of child- 
ish surprise and alarm. " Mark what I say," con- 
tinued Charles ; " they are going to cut off my head, 
and make you, perhaps, the king; but listen, you 
must not be a king while Charles and James are 
alive. They will have their heads cut off, too, if they 
are caught, and then you will be king, and afterwards 
your head may be cut off, too. Don't, I charge you, 
be made a king by them !" The child replied : " I 
will be torn in pieces first!" The King was de- 
lighted. 

He gave the princess, as a parting gift, two small 
seals with diamonds ; and his last words, as she and 
the young Duke of Gloucester were leaving his pre- 
sence, was a father's prayer asking the blessing of 
God upon them and the rest of his children. Those 
present were moved to tears at the affecting specta- 
cle. The King slept that night at the palace of St. 
James, where, for four hours, he reposed soundly. 

In the morning, he awoke two hours before day- 
break, and prepared at once to rise. It was a bleak, 
cold January morning, and Charles put on an extra 
shirt in consequence of the sharpness of the weather. 
"Death is not terrible to me, and, bless my God, I* 
am prepared," are the words remembered to have 
been uttered by the monarch in his pious resignation 
to his fate Bishop Juxon was soon at his side, and 



The March to the Scaffold. 159 

they joined together in prayer for more than an 
hour. 

The officer, whose duty it was to conduct the King 
to the scaffold, tapped gently at the door. Herbert, 
the King's attendant, was so unnerved that he could, 
when calmly ordered by the King, hardly open it. 
The officer seemed no less overcome, and was pale 
and trembling when he entered. 

Charles walked erect, and with rapid steps towards 
the scaffold in front of the palace of Whitehall. His 
devoted friend, Juxon, was on his right hand, and 
Colonel Tomlinson on his left, while a guard of hal- 
berdiers and a group of Royalists and faithful serv- 
ants bareheaded, followed after. All paid the respect 
of silence to the fallen King ; the troops, soldiers as 
well as officers, the crowds of spectators, uttered not 
a word, except that the gentle murmur of a whis- 
pered prayer or blessing here or there, might be 
heard in the general quiet. 

As the scaffold was not quite ready, the King was 
conducted to the palace of Whitehall, and again knelt 
in prayer with Juxon. Charles, having taken the 
sacrament, refused to dine; but, towards noon, he 
was prevailed upon to drink a glass of claret wine 
and eat a morsel of bread, lest he might, from long 
fasting, have a fit of fainting, and thus, as Juxon told 
him, be thought by his " murderers" afraid. " Now 
let the rogues come: I have heartily forgiven them, 
and am prepared for all I am to undergo," were 



160 Oliver Cromwell. 

the King's manly and cheerful words, as he left 
Whitehall* and advanced towards the place of exe- 
cution. 

The scaffold was hung with black cloth, and its 
floor covered with the same. The block was placed 
in the middle, with the axe across it on the top. 
Troops of horse and regiments of foot guarded the 
foot of the scaffold, and crowds of men, women, and 
children thronged the place. Charles could hear 
prayers and blessings rising up to him from the peo- 
ple as he mounted the steps. As he reached the 
platform, he asked the officer in command of the 
guard, if there were no higher place, as he desired to 
be heard by all. As he found his voice could not 
reach every one, he said he felt it his duty to speak 
to those who were by, and to declare to them his 
innocence before God. He alluded to the death of 
Strafford. " I only say this," said he, " that an unjust 
sentence that I suffered to take effect, is punished 
now by an unjust sentence upon me." His forgive- 
ness he freely offered to all his enemies, but he de- 
clared that they were .wrong, that the people ought 
never to have a share in the government, and that 
" he died a martyr of the people." 

While Charles was speaking, some one touched 
the axe. " Hurt not," said the King, " the axe that 
may hurt me." Charles, having declared that he 
died a Christian in communion with the Church of 
England as left by his father, prepared himself for 



The King beheaded, 161 

the block. His cap was handed him by Juxon, and 
as he put it on, he said to one of the two execution- 
ers, who stood masked and disguised on either side 
of the block: "Does my hair trouble you?" and 
with his help and that of the Bishop, turned its long 
curls, which covered his neck, back under the edge 
of the cap. Having told the executioner that he 
would utter but a short prayer and then thrust out 
his hands for a signal, he turned to the Bishop, and 
said : " I have a good cause and a gracious God on 
my side." "You have now," replied Juxon, "but 
one stage more : the stage is turbulent and trouble- 
some, but it is a short one ; it will soon carry you a 
very great way; it will carry you from earth to 
heaven." " I go from a corruptible to an incorrupti- 
ble crown, where no disturbance can be," were the 
exalted words of the monarch. " You are exchanged 
from a temporal to an eternal crown — a good ex- 
change," replied the good bishop. Charles then 
spoke the single word to Juxon, " Remember !" and 
laying his head upon the block, gave the signal by 
stretching out his hands, and his head was severed 
from the body at a single blow. One of the execu- 
tioners then took up the head, crying aloud : " This 
is the head of a traitor." All England grieved at 
the death of the amiable monarch. The word " Re- 
member!" spoken by Charles, was explained by 
Juxqii, as referring to the injunction of the King, that 
his children should be taught to forgive his murder- 



162 Oliver Cromwell. 

ers. So the last utterance of the pious monarch was 
forgiveness of his enemies. 

Cromwell was present at every session of the 
Court except one, and sat deeply absorbed in the 
proceedings of the trial. His signature was attached 
in a bold hand to the warrant for the King's execu- 
tion. Cromwell's resolution never faltered where 
his opinion was once formed ; he was always true 
to his convictions. He had persuaded himself that 
it was his duty to join in the sacrifice of the King, 
and he bore his part resolutely and with a certain 
degree of grim delight. He bore a cheerful face 
throughout the trial, and was often observed to in- 
dulge in smiles and laughter, which seemed out 
of character with the great tragedy, in which he 
bore so important a part. Cromwell was in fact 
worked up by his enthusiasm to a degree of hysteri- 
cal excitement, which accounts for his apparent 
heartlessness. It was thus when the warrant for 
the execution was presented to him for his signature, 
he indulged in the grim practical joke of daubing 
Henry Marten's face with ink. That Cromwell, 
after the execution, went to feast his eyes upon the 
dead King, touched the neck with his finger to feel 
whether it was completely severed, and upon ob- 
serving the soundness of the body, remarked that its 
vigor seemed to offer the prospect of a long natural 
life, is stated, but upon such authority, that we are 
not bound to accept the statement for truth. 






i 




/■fjt^'Q 



Cromwell and the Body of Ciiaui.es. 



IV 162.. 



The Commonwealth established. 163 

The Commonwealth was now duly established in 
England, and a Council of State organized, to con- 
sist of forty-one persons, of whom Oliver Cromwell 
was one, and the first president. Bradshaw, Fair- 
fax, Willoughby, Vane, Ludlow, and Marten were 
among the other principal men. The new govern- 
ment began their administration with cruel vigor, 
made necessary by the growing tendency to mon- 
archy. The death of the King had awakened a great 
popular sympathy in behalf of royalty, which was 
kept alive by the publication of a remarkable book, 
the " Eikon Basilike, or Portraiture of his Sacred 
Majesty in his Solitudes and Sufferings," which was 
believed to be the work of King Charles himself. 
The whole heart of the late monarch was here laid 
bare ; its hopes, its fears, its courage, its resignation, 
its tenderness, its heavenly aspirations, its human 
sympathies, were all disclosed to the eyes of the 
world which perused it through tears of sorrow for 
the unfortunate monarch. The republican leaders had 
striven in vain to prevent the publication of the work, 
for they were fully aware of the blow it would give 
to their cause. Forty-eight thousand copies were dis- 
tributed throughout England in one year, and it was 
translated into all the languages of Europe, and read 
everywhere with absorbing interest. Its influence 
on opinion was correspondent with its popularity, 
and the reverence the book created for the memory 
of Charles was only equalled by the detestation for 



164 Oliver Cromwell. 

the Republicans. The King was elevated to martyr- 
dom, and his executioners pronounced guilty of 
murder. 

Dr. Gauden, Bishop of Worcester, was the author 
of the Eikon Basilike, but the King had probably 
perused and corrected it with care. So great was 
the influence of the book, that the Republicans found 
it necessary to meet it with a studied refutation. 
The great Milton, who had been lately appointed 
Latin Secretary to the Council, through the influence 
of his relative, Lord President Bradshaw, and on 
account of his able and eloquent vindication of free- 
dom in his pamphlet on the trial of the King, was 
chosen to write an answer to the Eikon Basilike. 
The poet accordingly produced the EikonoMastos, 
a violent effusion of stern republicanism, in which 
the young Milton showed all the cruel energy of a 
Brutus. The work produced no popular effect ; for 
it was too cold, unimpassioned, and severe, to touch 
the human heart. This work gave rise to a rejoin- 
der on the part of Saumaise, known more generally 
as Salmasius, a Protestant Professor of the Univer- 
sity of Leyden. This eloquent but intemperate 
publication was received with great favor, and Mil- 
ton felt himself bound to enter the arena again, to 
meet this new antagonist. 

Milton's " Defense of the People of England, in 
answer to Salmasius's Defense of the King," is one 
of the finest models of eloquent prose. The right of 



Milton's "Defense" 165 

self-government is vindicated in a noble spirit of 
reverence for humanity, and in a dignity of language 
commensurate with the lofty theme. There are some 
fine passages in the production, which allude to the 
poet's simple life, his devotion to study and the lofty 
contemplations of genius, his sufferings and the blind- 
ness of those eyes, 

" That roll in vain 
To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn — " 

an affliction which fell upon him while engaged in 
writing this very work. The cause of the Repub- 
licans was greatly served by this eloquent production 
of the poet. 

The Republicans were not, however, disposed to 
trust their cause alone to appeals to reason, however 
eloquent, but were resolved to strangle opposition by 
the strong hand of power. The Duke of Hamilton, 
the Earl of Holland, the Earl of Norwich, Lord Ca- 
pel, and Sir John Owen, devoted Royalists, had been 
for many months close prisoners in the Tower, anx- 
iously awaiting their fate. At one time there was a 
prospect of safety to their lives, Parliament having 
resolved to let them off with fines and banishment. 
The Independents soon after obtaining the mastery, 
revoked this act, and determined to bring them to 
trial. 

Capel was nobly devoted to his King, and on the 
condemnation of Charles, wrote to Cromwell, pray- 



166 Oliver Cromwell. 

ing earnestly to be allowed to sacrifice his life for his 
monarch. " I would to God," wrote this nobleman, 
" my life could be a sacrifice to preserve his ! Could 
you make it an expedient to serve that end, truly I 
would pay you more thanks for it than you will 
allow yourself from all your other merits from those 
you have most obliged, and die your most affection- 
ate friend, Capel." Cromwell never answered this 
letter. 

The High Court of Justice determined to proceed 
with the trial immediately, and the five imprisoned 
Eoyalists were formally presented. Capel had suc- 
ceeded, in the mean time, in making his escape from 
the Tower; but his place of concealment was dis- 
closed by a boatman for ten pounds. The prisoners 
all conducted themselves with great courage and 
spirit. Hamilton was resolute, and although offered 
by Cromwell his life on the condition of making cer- 
tain confessions, declared if 1$fr had as many lives as 
hairs on his head, he would lay them all down rather 
than redeem by so base ajn&ms.. Capel was spirited 
and defiant. "I am a prisoner of war," he said, 
" and all the guns in the world have nothing to do 
with me." He, however, startled when the attorney- 
general demanded that he should be hanged, drawn, 
and quartered .; but, immediately recovering himself, 
declared that, however he was dealt with here, he 
hoped for a better resurrection hereafter. 

They were all condemned to be beheaded instead 



The Royalists disposed of. 167 

of hung. When Sir John Owen, who was a plain 
"Welsh squire, heard the change of sentence, he bowed 
very lowly to the Court, and thanked them. On 
being asked by some one at his side what he meant, 
he coolly remarked, " That it was a very great honor 
for a poor Welsh gentleman to lose his head with 
such noble lords," and concluded with an oath, " that 
he was afraid they would have hanged him." 

The sentence was now brought before Parliament, 
and great efforts were made to save the condemned. 
The Earl of Norwich was pardoned by the casting 
vote of the Speaker. The friends of the other nobles 
exerted themselves to the utmost. No one appeared 
to say a word for Owen, until Col. Hutchinson, who 
sat by Ireton, remarked that it was too bad, while all 
were striving to save the lords, there was not a sin- 
gle friend to ask for the poor gentleman, and declared 
that he would speak for Owen, if Ireton would second 
him, for he perceived he was a stranger and friend- 
less. Ireton consented, and Owen was so nobly de- 
fended by the two, that he was pardoned by a ma- 
jority of five votes. 

Lord Capel's case was last considered. He was 
most affectionately beloved by his family, and re- 
spected by all. His enemies could only charge him 
with his disinterested and unswerving fidelity to his 
King. Every means was tried to save his life — 
influence, appeals, and money. His political oppo- 
nents inclined to his favor, and as they spoke highly 



168 Oliver Cromwell. 

of his virtues, confessed " that he had never deceived 
them or pretended to be of their party, but always 
resolutely declared himself for the King." 

Cromwell arose, and with more than usual com- 
placency of manner, and in a soft tone of voice, ex- 
pressed his regard and esteem for the high personal 
virtues of the condemned lord, in terms warmer than 
any previous speaker. The friends of Capel bright- 
ened with hope, for they knew the fate of his lord- 
ship hung upon the lips of Cromwell. Expectation 
was on the strain, and every word of the speaker 
was eagerly caught. Cromwell, now assuming a 
fixed expression of resolute firmness, and speaking in 
his usual positive and emphatic manner, closed thus : 
" I know the Lord Capel very well, and I know that 
he would be the last man in England that would for- 
sake the royal cause. He has great courage, indus- 
try, and generosity ; he has many friends who would 
always adhere to him ; and as long as he lived, what 
condition soever he was in, he would be a thorn in 
your sides. And therefore, for the good of the Com- 
monwealth, I shall give my vote against the peti- 
tion." Capel was doomed. 

The execution took place on the next day, the 9th 
of March, 1649. On the previous night Lord Capel 
was in prayer with his friend, Dr. Morley, from 
whom he took the sacrament, having declared that 
he would receive it only from a minister of the 
King's party, and according to the liturgy of the 



Lord CapeVs Execution. 169 

Church of England. To Dr. Morley he said that he 
could only accuse himself of one great known sin, 
Avhich was his vote for the death of Strafford, a vote 
that he confessed was not from conviction, but from 
a " base fear." He had begged often, on his knees 
and in tears, he said, for pardon from Almighty God 
for that great sin, and expressed his resolution openly 
to confess his crime and his repentance on the scaf- 
fold. Dr. Morley approved of his resolution. 

Lord Capel's family, on the morning of the execu- 
tion, were permitted separately to visit him — his wife, 
his eldest son, and some other relatives. To his son 
he said : " I would not have you neglect any honora- 
ble and just occasion to serve your King and your 
country with the hazard of your life and fortune, but 
not from revenge nor hope of reward, but out of a 
conscience of your duty only." He then said that 
the best legacy he had to leave him was his prayers 
and this verse of the Psalms, which he urged him to 
make a part of his daily prayers, as it had been of 
his own : " Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me 
in a plain path." 

Lady Capel swooned on parting from her hus- 
band, and his lordship remarked to his friend Mor 
ley, when she was gone : " The hardest thing that 1 
had to do here in this world is now past, the parting 
with this poor woman." 

Hamilton was the first to suffer, and he courage- 
ously met his fate. The bright sun struck full on 



170 Oliver Cromwell. 

his face as he stood upon the scaffold ; but being ad- 
vised to move, he said: "No; I hope to see a 
brighter sun, and that very speedily." Lord Capel 
was the last, and mounted the scaffold with his usual 
spirited bearing. He had previously taken his last 
farewell of his chaplain, Morley, and his friends. 
Some of his faithful servants, however, clung to him 
to the last, and observing that they were in tears, he 
said : " Restrain yourselves, gentlemen ; restrain 
yourselves." 

He asked the officer in attendance whether the 
other lords who had been executed had spoken with 
their hats off, or no 1 On being answered, " With 
their hats off," he uncovered himself, and spoke a few 
manly words, asserting his devotion to monarchy, and 
his faith as a Christian. He then closed with a con- 
fession of his " great sin" in voting for the death of 
Strafford, and quietly laid his head upon the block. 

The Commonwealth, having thus disposed of the 
Eoyalist opposition, was attacked by enemies more 
formidable, since they came from the ranks of its 
former friends, and could claim that their principles 
were the same, and the only difference w r as their 
greater honesty in carrying them out. They were 
called by themselves Diggers, by others Levellers, 
and John Lilburne was the chief agitator among 
these radicals. This man was an impracticable fana- 
tic, whose political and religious abstractions, how- 
ever attractive in theory, were entirely too subji- 



Lilburne the Leveller. 171 

mated for practice. He was sincere, enthusiastic, 
and indefatigable in agitation. As he was a ready 
declaimer, a plausible disputant, and a fluent writer, 
he readily obtained proselytes in the unsettled state 
of opinion, and had many followers in the army, 
where he had served with distinction, and among the 
more excitable of the lower class of his countrymen. 
He wrote various pamphlets, in one of which he 
indulged in this unmeasured tirade against Crom- 
well: "You shall scarce speak to Cromwell about 
any thing, but he will lay his hand on his breast, ele- 
vate his eyes, and call God to record ; he will weepj 
howl, and repent, even while he doth smite you un 
der the first rib." 

The army showing a disposition to mutiny, Lil- 
burne, with three o^his more active coadjutors, were 
lodged in prison; but even this did not settle the 
matter. The civil war had recommenced in Ireland, 
and the Commonwealth prepared to repress it by the 
force of arms. Certain English regiments were 
drafted for this purpose, but murmured loudly, and 
finally refused the service. Not content with dis- 
obeying orders, they openly declared for the Level- 
lers. Cromwell acted with great courage and prompt- 
itude in this emergency. He hurried to the army, 
seized upon fifteen of the ringleaders, four of whom 
were condemned to death, and crushed the mutiny. 
There were still some regiments who were in open 
insurrection, and Cromwell, marching the forces he 



172 Oliver Cromwell. 

had already reduced to order, against these insur- 
gents, summoned a court-martial, which condemned 
every tenth man to be shot. One, two, three were 
successively seized, dragged out of the ranks, and 
shot dead. The fourth was an aged veteran, well 
known to the officers, a brave old soldier ; he asked 
forgiveness, and was pardoned. The execution 
ceased, and Cromwell, calling down the remaining 
mutineers, who had been stationed on the leads of 
the church, that they might witness the punishment 
of their comrades, rebuked them for their sin against 
God and their country, to such good effect that they 
w r ept, and, what was more to the purpose, cheerfully 
obeyed the order to march to Ireland. 



CHAPTER VII. 

OLIVER CROMWELL was now in high favor; 
he and Fairfax had been honored with a pub- 
lic vote of thanks for their services, a magnificent 
banquet from the Lord Mayor, and, on leaving the 
hall, Fairfax was presented with a basin and ewer of 
pure gold, worth one thousand pounds, and Crom- 
well with a plate of half that value. 

The Lord-LieUtenancy of Ireland, with the command 
of the English forces, sent to put down the Royalists 
under Lord Ormonde, was conferred upon Cromwell. 
Sinister news from Ireland hastened the departure 
of the Lord-Lieutenant. Ormonde had borne down 
all before him and left but a remnant of Irish, in the 
north, faithful to the Parliament. 

Cromwell took his departure on the 10th of July, 
1649. A large number of his friends met at White- 
hall, to take their farewell of him. Cromwell and 
others, having taken part in earnest religious exhort- 
ation, they all joined in prayer, and the meeting 
closed with the three ministers who were present 
invoking the blessing of God upon the arms of the 
departing leader. Cromwell now set out for Bris- 



174" Oliver Cromwell. 

tol, on his way to Ireland, and in such state and 
pomp that it was the talk and wonder of the day. 
He rode in a coach drawn by six white Flanders 
mares, followed by a numerous train of carriages 
containing the great officers of the army. A guard 
of eighty gentlemen, in rich habits, no one of whom 
was less than a commander or esquire, and many 
were colonels, escorted him. So Cromwell magni- 
ficently rode out of London, with the drums beating 
and the trumpets sounding. A newspaper of the 
day, in its enthusiasm, bursts forth : "And now, have 
at you, my Lord of Ormonde ! you will have men 
of gallantry to encounter, whom to overcome will be 
honor sufficient, and to be beaten by them will be 
no great blemish to your reputation. If you say, 
' Ccesar or nothing ! ' they say, ' A Republic or 
nothing !' " 

Arrived at Bristol, Cromwell lingered there a 
month, as if fearful to leave his native land in the 
agonies of a great crisis. The people thronged every- 
where to catch a glimpse of the great captain, and 
welcomed his approach with a burst of enthusiasm. 
Having at last disembarked his troops, and the 
threatening aspect of Ormonde, who was approach- 
ing Dublin, reminding him that there was no time 
for further delay, he, having taken farewell of his 
wife and children, who had accompanied him thus 
fir, availed himself of a favorable wind, and set sail. 
While Cromwell was in the roads, he was cheered 



On the Way to Ireland. 175 

with the joyful intelligence of a great success on the 
part of the Parliamentary forces. Ormonde was 
hard pressing the city of Dublin with an over- 
whelming force of twenty thousand men, when the 
garrison of Dublin, under the command of Col. 
Michael Jones, consisting of only about five thou- 
sand, issued out and gained a great victory over the 
besiegers. Cromwell, in announcing this glorious 
result to his son Richard's wife, to whom he writes 
a letter from on board the ship St. John, which, 
with anchor weighed and sails unfurling, was just on 
the start,' speaks of the " late great mercy of Ire- 
land," as a manifestation of God's goodness. This 
letter, as in all those written in the familiar confi- 
dence of affection, is full of grateful acknowledg- 
ments of the goodness of God, is firm in dependence 
upon Him, and softened in tone by a sentiment of 
tender love from a father to his children. The stern 
Cromwell of the state, the fierce Cromwell of the 
battle, is the pious Cromwell of the sanctuary, and 
the loving, tenderly-devoted Cromwell of his home. 
On the arrival of the Lord-Lieutenant in Dublin, 
he was met with grea,t demonstrations of welcome, 
and as he rode through the crowds which thronged 
the streets, he rose in his carriage, and taking off his 
hat, addressed the multitude. He told them that the 
war against the barbarous and blood-thirsty Irish was 
for the propagation of Christ's gospel, and that all 
^thosc who engaged in the good work should find 



176 Oliver Cromwell. 

favor and protection from Parliament, and be re- 
warded according to their merits. The people 
responded to the speech with shouts : " We will live 
and die with you." 

Cromwell, ably seconded by his son-in-law, Ireton, 
led their Ironside troops, small in number, being but 
nine thousand and all told, but invincible in effect, 
to victory everywhere throughout Ireland. Town 
after town was taken, and the raw, undisciplined 
Irish forced to yield every field, where they ventured 
battle. Drogheda and Wexford were stormed, and 
Cromwell, fighting himself in the breach, carried 
these strongholds, against a spirited resistance. 
Cork, Kinsale, and other places, opened their gates 
at the approach of the conqueror. Kilkenny and 
Clonmel were reduced after much hard fighting, and 
in the short space of ten months, Cromwell, having 
subdued Ireland, was ready to return to England. 

With the cruel animosity of sectarians, the Eng- 
lish army had shown no mercy to the Roman Catho- 
lics, but had barbarously cut them to pieces wher- 
ever found. " I believe," says Cromwell in one of 
his dispatches, "we put to the sword the whole num- 
ber of the defendants." In the same document he 
says : " This hath been a marvellous great mercy ;" 
and again, where he offers a would-be justification of 
his avenging hand, he states: "And truly I believe 

his bitterness will save much effusion of blood, 

hrough the goodness of God." 



His Cruelties in Ireland. 177 

In another dispatch, Cromwell states : " I forbade 
them to spare any one who was found in arms in the 
town, and I think, that night they put to the sword 
about two thousand men." Some hundred had es- 
caped to a church tower, " Whereupon," says Crom- 
well, " I ordered the steeple to be fired, when one of 
them was heard to say, in the midst of the flames : 
' God damn me, God confound me ; I burn, I burn.' " 
Again the bloody record, with a demoniac coolness 
which does not startle but petrifies with horror, de- 
clares : " When they submitted, their officers were 
knocked on the head." It is good that God alone 
have all the glory, is the Te deum uttered in the 
same dispatch, by Cromwell, as he raises his bloody 
hands to heaven. Ireland was stilled, and she shrunk 
down, awe-stricken, by the " Curse of Cromwell," 
weeping tears of blood, which falling upon the heart 
of the country, engendered a hatred of Englishmen, 
and a fierce vindictiveness, which has never ceased, 
until now, Irishmen, becoming Americans, are no 
longer Irishmen. 

Cromwell's triumphs in Ireland placed him now 
on the pinnacle of fame. The Parliament, in spite 
of its fears of his growing greatness, was compelled 
to do him honor, while the popular feeling, always 
fulsome in praise of success, hailed the great victor 
with unbounded applause. A full-armed frigate, the 
"President," so called from the President Bradshaw, 
was dispatched to convey Cromwell home. On her 



178 Olivet' Cromwell. 

arrival, after a stormy passage, at Bristol, Cromwell 
landed and was received with a tumultuous welcome 
of popular enthusiasm. Fairfax, the leading officers 
of the army, and the members of Parliament, fol- 
lowed by crowds of the citizens, came out of London 
at his approach, and escorted him into the capital, 
amidst the shouts of the people, the chiming of 
the church-bells, and the firing of the Tower-guns. 
Cromwell took up his residence, with his family, at' 
the Cock-pit, near St. James's Palace, a royal resi- 
dence, which derived its name from its having been 
the cock-pit of Henry VIII. 

While the republican Cromwell was conquering 
in Ireland, and triumphing in London, the royal 
Charles, eldest son of the late monarch, had been 
proclaimed King by the Parliament of Scotland, and 
the crushed Irish Royalists. The young King, while 
reposing in the luxury of the court of Louis XIV., 
heard of the sacrifice of his friends for his own hope- 
less cause, and said with a sudden burst of spirit, 
that he would go and die with them, " for it is dis- 
graceful for me to live anywhere else." This was, 
however, but a fitful spark of the heroic temper of 
kings, which was soon extinguished, in the foul at- 
mosphere of corrupt pleasure. Charles lingered 
at St. Germain's, polluting his young heart, and 
wasting his robust energies in the company of de- 
bauchees and courtezans. His friends in the cruel 
Irish war struggled with the spirit of heroes, and 



Prince Charles a Fugitive. 170 

poured out their "blood with the devotion of martyrs. 
The King, turning up his slumbering eyes for a mo- 
ment from the lap of luxury, would say a fine thing 
of the heroism of his devoted friends, and then ter- 
minate with a heartless joke, or steep his lips in 
voluptuousness. His friends did heroic deeds, and 
uttered nothing, even with their dying lips, but a 
blessing upon the absent monarch who had forsaken 
them. 

Louis XIV., of France, now began to appreciate 
the power of the new government of England, and 
finding it more discreet to be a friend than an 
enemy of the Commonwealth, the royal politician 
become lukewarm in the cause of his fallen brother. 
The wary Mazarin, then in power, accordingly hinted 
to Charles II. that it was expedient for him to de- 
part ; and he accordingly proceeded to the little 
island of Jersey, in the English Channel, the last 
spot of his dominions left the monarch. 

While in Jersey, negotiations were entered into 
with Scotland, notwithstanding the King's devoted 
friend there, the young Earl of Montrose, had paid 
his life for his loyalty, and Charles having, without 
the least hesitation, satisfied his own conscience and 
that of the Scotch kirk in matters of religious belief, 
was welcomed to Scotland, and put at the head of 
an army ready to strike a blow for the English 
crown. The Parliament were not backward in pre- 
paring to meet this new opposition. They deter- 



180 Oliver Cromwell. 

mined not to await the threatened invasion, but to 
march an army at once into Scotland, and strike a 
blow, before the enemy was ready to act on the of- 
fensive. A large force was recruited, and the com- 
mand offered to Fairfax, who declined. Cromwell, 
who had made a great show of his efforts to change 
Fairfax's resolution, was then unanimously elected 
Captain- General-in-chief of the army. Cromwell 
immediately moved on to the borders of Scotland, 
where he halted for awhile on the heights near Ber- 
wick, and addressed his assembled army, sixteen 
thousand strong, with a few encouraging words, in- 
terspersed with his usual religious exhortations. At 
night, as the English encamped, the neighborhood 
round was inflamed with the thousand beacon-lights 
of the Scotch borderers, with which the inhabitants 
alarmed the country, as they fled with their families 
and drove their cattle away, before the coming 
invaders. Cromwell reached Edinburgh without 
meeting an opposing Scot. Here, however, the 
enemy was drawn up under the command of the 
cautious Lesley, strongly entrenched, between Leith 
and the capital, and covered by strong outposts of 
artillery, on the neighboring hills, Calton, Salisbury 
Craig, and Arthur's Seat. 

-All the efforts of the English to tempt the Scotch 
from their strong position were unavailing, and as 
the season was unusually rainy and tempestuous, the 
forces of Cromwell began to suffer in health, and 



At Dunbar. 181 

from want of supplies, which the English fleet, ar- 
rived in the Frith of Forth, was prevented by the 
stormy weather from landing. Cromwell now was 
obliged to retire to Dunbar, where he arrived with 
his forces, diminished to twelve thousand men, and 
hard pressed by the much larger numbers of the 
enemy who followed in his wake. The English 
forces were drawn up in the fields near Dunbar, 
the Scotch occupied the hills which commanded the 
lower land, and their large army of twenty-seven 
thousand men, gathered together, impended over 
Cromwell's diminished numbers " like a thick cloud, 
menacing, such a shower to the English as would 
wash them out of their country, if not out of the 
world." The Scotch were highly elated, as the 
record of the old historian we have just quoted indi- 
cates, at the prospect of an easy victory. Lesley 
said to his officers : " By seven o'clock to-morrow 
we shall have the English army dead or alive." Crom- 
well, with every man ready, steadily kept his ground 
and watched with intense anxiety, though with " com- 
fortable spirits, the Lord be praised," every move- 
ment of the enemy upon the heights. • Both armies re- 
mained thus for a day, (it was Sunday,) intently on 
the guard, the Scotch not venturing to leave their 
secure position on the hill, and the English unwilling 
to make the hazardous attempt of dislodging them. 
Early in the morning, a slight skirmish took place 
between a small party of six horse and fifteen 



182 Oliver Cromwell. 

foot, who had been stationed in a miserable hut, 
and a troop of Scotch cavalry from one of the out- 
posts, which dislodged the English and took three 
prisoners. Among them was a veteran musketeer, 
who had, in spite of a wooden arm, stubbornly re- 
sisted, having fired thrice and done considerable exe- 
cution, before he was captured. On being taken 
before the Scotch general to be questioned, he was 
asked if Cromwell intended to fight. " We come 
for nothing else," was his answer. " How can you 
fight," asked Lesley, " when you have shipped half of 
your men and all your great guns V The old sol- 
dier replied : " Sir, if you please to draw down your 
men, you shall find both men and great guns too !" 
One of the officers rebuked him for his impertinence. 
" I only," said he, " answered the question put to 
me." He was set free and sent back to the English 
camp. He presented himself at once to Cromwell, 
and having told his story, muttered that he had been 
a loser of twenty shillings by the job, of which sum 
he had been plundered. Cromwell gave him double 
the amount of his loss, and sent him away mightily 
contented. 

On the next day, Monday, the Scotch being heated 
by the inflammatory appeals of their preachers, who 
had proved from Scripture the certainty of a victory, 
could no longer restrain their impatience, and came 
clown with the greater part of the army from their 
secure position on the hill, and took their ground at 



Prepares to give Battle. 183 

its base. Cromwell exclaimed, as he observed the 
manoeuvre : " The Lord hath delivered them into our 
hands." 

The combatants were now only separated by a 
deep, dark stream, forty feet in depth, and about the 
same in width. It was evidently greatly to the dis- 
advantage of whichever army should first attempt to 
pass this obstacle, as in crossing they would be 
unresistingly exposed to attack. The enemy began 
to move to the right, where there was a pass, with 
the intention of beginning the attack. Cromwell, 
observing the movement, called a council of war and 
proposed, instead of awaiting the intended onset of 
the enemy, to make the first charge himself. Lam- 
bert, his second in command, Monk, afterwards the 
famous general and duke of Albemarle of the restora- 
tion, and the other officers, readily assented to Crom- 
well's plan. Nothing was done, however, that day ; 
but the two armies remained standing to their arms, 
until the next morning. It was a gloomy night, 
to open perhaps to a gloomier day. Cromwell's 
soldiers were not, however, discouraged, but man- 
fully prepared for the struggle, and strengthened 
their hearts in prayer. 

The day has hardly dawned when the Scotch be- 
gin to move ; Cromwell, on the alert, orders the 
trumpets to sound. The march begins, several regi- 
ments of foot, and troops of horse, are ordered to 
the pass, where the attack upon the enemy is to be 



184 Oliver Cromwell. 

made. This force gallantly charges the Scotch at 
that point, but is driven back. Cromwell now 
comes to the rescue with several regiments of horse 
and foot, and shouting out the " Lord of Hosts !" 
" Lord of Hosts !" charged upon the enemy, whose 
battle-cry was the " Covenant," and after a vigor- 
ous struggle of nearly an hour, during which his men 
fought desperately, thrusting home their long pikes 
and knocking down their opponents with the butt- 
ends of their muskets, the Scotch were driven back, 
and the pass was gained by the English, who fol- 
lowed up their advantage until the whole enemy 
were thrown into confusion and put to flight. " They 
run ! I profess they run !" cried out Cromwell, and 
as he cheered on his men to their work of death, the 
first gleam of the sun broke through the mist which 
had shrouded the early morn, and the Puritan leader 
excited to a pitch of religious exaltation, exclaimed 
with the Psalmist : " Let God arise, let His enemies 
be scattered." The Scotch army continued its pre- 
cipitate flight, hotly pursued by the English, who 
halted but a moment, by the order of Cromwell, to 
sing the 117th Psalm, and then continued their bloody 
work. The engagement lasted less than an hour, 
and yet the loss of the Scotch was immense ; three 
thousand were slain in the desperate struggle at the 
pass, and over four thousand altogether, while ten 
thousand prisoners, among whom were some of the 
leading dignitaries, state and clerical, of Scotland, fell 



inters Edinburgh. 185 

into the hands of Cromwell, who only lost thirty 
men all told. The remnant of the Scotch army 
escaped to Stirling. Cromwell now led his army to the 
capital, which opened its gates at his approach, and 
he became possessed of all Edinburgh and its neigh- 
borhood, with the exception of the rock-bound Castle, 
which was defended by a powerful garrison. From 
Edinburgh, Cromwell proceeds .to Glasgow, which 
readily submits, and soon the whole of the south of 
Scotland follows the example. The triumphs of the 
Lord-General were received with acclamation in 
England, and a medal was struck in honor of his great 
victory of Dunbar. While in Scotland, Cromwell 
was even politic enough to address himself to the 
religious prejudices of the people. In Edinburgh a 
number of the ministers of the Scotch Church having 
taken refuge in the Castle, Cromwell offered them a 
safe pass into the city, where, protected against all 
attack from his soldiers, they might resume their 
pulpits. In Glasgow he attended the Presbyterian 
churches with exemplary regularity, and even occa- 
sionally held religious conferences and discussions 
with the leading ministers. Cromwell, ably seconded 
by his Major-General Lambert, took the prominent 
part in these polemics, defending the Independents 
against Presbyterianism, and seems to have come off 
as well satisfied with his conquests in the conventicle 
as with his bloodier victories on the field. 

The astute Cromwell did not confine his shrewd 



186 Oliver Cromwell. 

policy to matters of conscience, but took care to 
keep an eye to more temporal concerns. He was 
particularly conciliatory in his behavior towards all 
the influential men of Scotland. One clay, while 
reconnoitering in Lanarkshire, he fell in with a son of 
Sir Walter Stewart, a Eoyalist, whom, after having 
served him as a guide, he accompanied home. Sir 
Walter, the father, had made off, leaving his lady, 
who was as much of a Royalist as her husband, to do 
the honors of the house. Cromwell entered smiling, 
and approached the disaffected dame with a great 
show of courtesy and kindliness. They were soon 
engaged in friendly conversation ; Cromwell ex- 
pressed a great interest in the family, asked kindly 
after the absent Sir Walter, made many tender 
inquiries about the children, and showed a particular 
regard for the relatives in general. The son, who 
had served as his guide, was something of a valetudi- 
narian. Cromwell was especially anxious about his 
welfare, advised a change of climate for him, and 
particularly recommended Montpelier as a place 
that would be sure to benefit his health. While he 
*was thus blandly making himself agreeable, one of 
the lady's sons, a lad of ten years, won over by the 
paternal air of the great Cromwell, sidled up to him, 
and began to play with the hilt of his sword. " You 
are my little Captain," said Cromwell, gently pat- 
ting the child upon the head. The Royalist dame 
was quite won over. A repast was served, and 



Dangerously III. 187 

Cromwell having returned thanks and invoked a 
blessing, took his departure. " She was sure," re- 
marked the wife of Sir Walter, subsequently, " that 
Cromwell was one who feared God, and had the true 
interest of religion at heart." Cromwell thus not 
only subdued, but attracted Scotland to his cause. 

Cromwell, on returning to Edinburgh, after a try- 
ing campaign, was laid prostrate with a severe attack 
of fever. The Parliament were in a state of great 
alarm, for at the moment the right arm of their 
cause was thus paralyzed, the Royalists had made a 
new show of resistance. Charles had been crowned 
with great pomp and ceremony at Scone, as the 
second of his name, and king of the three kingdoms 
of England, Scotland, and Ireland ; and upon a move- 
ment of his Royalist friends in England, was prepar- 
ing to march thither, at the head of some devoted 
Scotch friends and followers. Cromwell was greatly 
needed, but he lay powerless on the bed of sickness. 
Great was the anxiety of all the friends of the com- 
mon cause. A message was sent down to him from 
Parliament with expressions of deep sympathy with 
his sufferings, and of earnest hope for his recovery. 
Cromwell in answer says, with more appearance 
of humility than of truth : " Indeed, my Lord, your 
service needs not me ; lama poor creature ; and 
have been a dry bone ; and am still an unprofitable 
servant to my Master and you. I thought I should 
have died of this fit of sickness ; but the Lord 



188 Oliver Cromwell. 

seemeth to dispose otherwise." He recovered soon 
after, sufficiently to resume his active duties. The 
joyful news, "The Lord-General is now well re- 
covered," was received in London with unbounded 
expressions of thankfulness and evident sense of 
relief. Cromwell was, however, attacked again, and 
suffered three successive relapses of his disease. Two 
physicians, the ablest of London, were now sent 
down by Parliament to attend him. They came in 
Fairfax's own carriage, which had been offered by 
that General, who shared acutely in the anxiety of his 
party for the health of Cromwell. The House of 
Commons debated the portentous event of their great 
General's illness, and voted that he should be invited 
to England, that he might thus escape the sharpness 
of the northern air, and his health be benefited by 
the change. 

Cromwell's strong constitution, or stronger will, 
shook off at last the incubus of disease, and within a 
month of the first attack the hero was again in the 
field. Cannonading, sharp-shooting, mining, and 
battering having been tried as preliminaries to a 
treaty with the garrison of Edinburgh Castle, this 
stronghold was finally surrendered after a delay of 
three months, to the English. Cromwell now marched 
to the west, and sweeping castles and towns before 
him, reached Perth, v/hich he mastered, and thus 
cut off the supplies upon which Charles II. and 
his Royalist forces, who were at Stirling, depended. 



Charles II, Marches into England. 189 

The King now resolved upon venturing into England, 
in spite of the advice of the most politic of his friends, 
who declared that he was throwing away his life and 
ruining his cause, by such a hazardous expedition. 
Charles was, however, resolute, and gathering some 
fourteen thousand men, whose loyalty was proof 
against danger or the reckless madness of their King, 
marched into England. The Parliament and its 
friends were in great fear, and in their agitation they 
were ready to blame Cromwell for not having inter- 
posed his army and prevented the invasion. This 
able General, however, justified himself by the neces- 
sity of his position, and declaring his determination 
to follow the King with dispatch, confidently ex- 
pressed his assurance of a coming victory. 

Charles reached Worcester by an exceedingly 
rapid movement, and there raised his standard, and 
summoned his subjects to gather beneath it. Only 
two thousand Englishmen obeyed the summons, and 
his force with this addition, mustered but sixteen 
thousand men. The King arrived in "Worcester on 
the 22d of August, 1651, raised the royal standard 
on the 23d, and on the 28th Cromwell appeared be- 
fore the city with an army of thirty -four thousand, 
having left Scotland three weeks before with the 
small force of ten thousand, which had more than 
tripled on the route. The spirit of England was 
aroused to enthusiasm in favor of Cromwell, and to 
fierce anger against the alien invaders. Animated 



190 Oliver Cromwell. 

by such feelings, the English soldiers prepared to 
attack the Scotch at Worcester, who, under the loose 
control of the reckless young King, were in a state of 
discouragement and disorder. 

Cromwell had no sooner arrived, than, with the 
. instinct of military genius, he decided upon a plan of 
attack, and proceeded on the first day of his arrival 
to carry it into execution. The city of Worcester 
is situated on the Severn, a river which bore an im- 
portant part in the battle. Cromwell had encamped 
his forces on the left bank, but resolved on occupy- 
ing the right also, and accordingly, constructing a 
bridge of boats, passed a large body of troops over 
the river. The King, much to his surprise, observed 
this manoeuvre from the tower of Worcester Cathe- 
dral, which he had ascended with some of his officers. 
As he eagerly looked out, he saw the English march- 
ing directly upon the Scotch trooj^s, who guarded the 
western suburbs of the city, while at the same mo- 
ment a loud cannonading reached his ears from the 
opposite quarter, where the English artillery was 
battering the walls. 

The King descended the tower, and hastened to 
join the Scotch in the western suburb, on the right 
bank of the Severn, where they were hard pressed 
by the English, led on by Cromwell in person. 
Charles now made an attempt to steal a march upon 
the enemy, and come upon their camp unawares. 
He accordingly reentered the city, and leading out 



Battle of Worcester. 191 

his choicest troops through the eastern gate, made a 
charge upon Cromwell's camp, hut that wary gene- 
ral, who had crossed the river in the mean time, was 
there before him, and gave the King and his troops 
a warm reception. The engagement was now gene- 
ral, and the armies were contesting with each other 
in a desperate struggle at both extremities of the 
city. The Royalists resisted manfully, but in great 
disorder, while the Republicans, with equal spirit but 
better discipline, fought with more effect. The 
struggle lasted for five hours, when victory declared 
for Cromwell, who throughout the battle was every- 
where cheering on his troops, and exposing his life 
without a thought of danger. The King's troops 
were driven back into the city, fighting hand to hand 
against their fierce antagonists, as they struggled 
through the gates. An ammunition- wagon had been 
overthrown directly in the way of the King, and he 
was obliged to dismount and make his way at all 
speed on foot, with the ene^ny close at his heels, who 
now entered the city after him. 

The English met with the same success at the 
other extremity of Worcester, and now both com- 
batants were together in the city, and for awhile the 
streets became the scene of a desperate encounter. 
The King was again on horseback, and vainly en- 
deavored to rally his men, but at last finding all was 
lost, he cried out in his despair: "Shoot me dead 
rather than let me live to see the sad consequei 



192 Oliver Cromwell 

of this day ! " Some fifty devoted friends then 
gathered about their King, and encouraging him with 
words of hope, bore him off by breaking through 
the thronging enemy at the gate, and secured his 
escape. The victory of Cromwell was complete, and 
the cause of the Commonwealth triumphant. 

The Parliament was exhilarated by the success at 
Worcester, and showed its joy by a great banquet at 
Whitehall, and its gratitude by ordering a solemn 
thanksgiving throughout the land. Cromwell was 
fully acknowledged as the hero of the occasion, and 
liberally rewarded. Four of the leading members 
of the House were selected to bear to him the official 
vote of thanks, and the Parliament bestowed upon 
the republican leader the royal residence of Hamp- 
ton Court, and a landed estate with -an annual al- 
lowance of £4000. 

The King was a fugitive, and most of his devoted 
followers prisoners ; the nobler ancl more influential 
of whom were treated with the utmost rigor of 
Commonwealth law. The Duke of Hamilton, the 
Earl of Derby, and several other distinguished loy- 
alists, were condemned to death, and died with the 
courage of martyrs. A reward of a thousand pounds 
was voted and proclaimed all over the kingdom, 
for him who should "bring into the Parliament 
Charles Stuart, son of the late tyrant." 

The King immediately on his escape from Wor- 
cester, had assumed the disguise of a peasant, cutting 



Charles IL a Fugitive. 193 

off his flowing cavalier locks, staining his smooth, 
comely face, and putting on the coarse garb of the 
rustic. Some of Cromwell's soldiers sent in pursuit, 
traced Charles to the monastic residence of White- 
ladies, belonging to a Catholic and devoted Royalist 
by the name of Giffard. This gentleman had already 
secured the escape of the King, by intrusting him to 
the care of five brothers of the name of Penderell, 
who were woodmen in the service of Giffard. The 
soldiers demanded, with threats of death if refused, 
that the royal fugitive should be given up. Giffard 
resolutely denied any knowledge of the King's 
whereabouts, and begged if he were to die, that he 
might first be permitted to say his prayers. " If 
you can tell us no news, you shall say no prayers," 
was the rude answer of the soldiers. The house was 
then searched in vain, and as the proprietor persisted 
in his assertion, the troop moved off. In the mean 
time the faithful Penderells, familiar with all the 
country round, had concealed the King in the forest, 
where, in spite of a heavy storm, he passed the night 
upon a blanket spread under the cover of the trees. 
Some soldiers were observed on the outskirts of the 
wood, as the hunted monarch, seated on the ground, 
was regaling himself with a supply of coarse home- 
made bread and fresh country milk. 

The next day the King, as he did not yet dare to ven- 
ture abroad, climbed- an oak, hence called the Royal 
Oak, and concealed himself from sight amid the foli- 
9 



194 Oliver Cromwell. 

age, whence he could obtain a wide survey of the 
country, round, and watch the soldiers who were 
in pursuit of him. The hunted monarch was driven 
from cover to cover for seven days, escaping at night 
from one hiding-place to another. At one time he 
hid himself in a hay-loft, at another in a churchyard, 
and was forced now to climb a wall, and again to 
swim a river. His friend Lord Wilmot now joined 
him, and they took refuge in Staffordshire, in the 
house of Colonel Lane, the brother of a devoted ad- 
herent of the young Charles, Miss Jane Lane. It was 
now resolved to push on to Bristol, and the monarch, 
assuming a new disguise, that of a servant in livery, 
and the name of William Jackson, mounted a horse, 
with Miss Lane on a pillion behind him. They thus 
proceeded on their journey. They had not been long 
set out, when the King's horse cast a shoe, and they 
were obliged to stop at a smithy by the roadside. 
The monarch, true to the character of a servant 
which he had assumed, held up the horse's foot while 
the blacksmith began his work. " What news ?" 
asked Charles. " Nothing," replied the man, " that 
I knows of but the good news of the drubbing we've 
given the Scotch." " Have they," resumed the 
monarch, " caught none of the English who were 
with them ?" " Some have been taken, but they 
have not got hold of that rogue Charles Stuart yet," 
answered the blacksmith. The King then having re- 
marked that if that rogue were taken, he deserved to 



Charles II. escapes to France. 195 

be hung, the man told the monarch he spoke like an 
honest man. The job being done, the monarch 
mounted and continued his journey. Charles reached 
Bristol, having been several times recognized by 
servants and others who were familiar with his ap- 
pearance, but in spite of their poverty and humble 
position, he remained secure in their disinterested 
fidelity. 

Not finding the boat he had expected at Bristol to 
convey him to France, he was obliged to take up his 
wanderings again; and finally, after he had spent 
forty-two days as a miserable fugitive, he escaped to 
Trance, where he and his companions, on their arri- 
val, appeared in such a sorry plight that the landlord 
of an inn refused to harbor them, taking them to be 
thieves or otherwise disreputable characters. 

Cromwell was now the great man of England. 
His journey to London was a series of ovations, and 
his reception at the capital triumphant. The Par- 
liamentary Commissioners received him with great 
respect, which was returned by a grandeur and an 
exalted courtesy on the part of the republican gen- 
eral, that could not have been surpassed by the 
dignity of a prince. Cromwell certainly did not 
forget what was due to his position as an exponent 
of the religious sentiment of the day, but took good 
care to make the usual professions of humility, and 
to ascribe " all the glory to the Lord." The repub- 
lican was as grand and sumptuous as a prince in his 



196 Oliver Cromwell. 

generosity, and bestowed upon each of the Commis- 
sioners a fine steed, and distributed among them 
some of the noble captives, who followed in the vic- 
tor's train. Hugh Peters, Cromwell's chaplain, 
opened his eyes to the swelling grandeur of his gen- 
eral, and remarked: "This man will be King of 
England yet." To the triumph of Cromwell were 
added the successes of his lieutenants in Ireland and 
Scotland. Ireton was victorious in one kingdom, 
and Monk in the other. The American Colonies 
which had long held out for monarchy, now declared 
for the new government. The fleet had subjected 
the Channel islands, and now the authority of the 
Commonwealth was supreme wherever Englishmen 
ruled. The republic and Cromwell rose to power 
together. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CROMWELL, with a palatial residence, a princely 
revenue, and the command of a large army, 
which he had always led to victory, was the most 
prominent as he was the most powerful man in Eng- 
land. Though the government was republican, and 
its theory equality, Cromwell having, by crushing 
the civil war, erected out of the fragments of a dis- 
organized monarchy, the fair proportions of the 
Commonwealth, stood supreme within the temple to 
whom all would bow in worship. Monarchs courted 
him, great ministers of state did him homage, royal 
ambassadors humbled themselves before him. The 
powerful Mazarin, the minister of Louis le Grand, 
obsequiously sought his friendship. Cromwell was 
thus early treated as a power, and it was felt that in 
him centered England's might. The great man in- 
stinctively received the homage as his due, and made 
terms with monarchs, as if he wore the crown 
" which rounds the temples of a king." Louis XIV. 
instructs his ambassador, the Comte d'Estrades, " to 
open himself with all confidence with said Sieur 
Cromwell. " And moreover, the great monarch 



198 Oliver Cromwell. 

writes to him, as he would to a royal brother, to as- 
sure him of his good-will, and to entreat him to give 
credence to the ambassador who bears the letter, as 
a person in whom his majesty places entire confi- 
dence. This was while Cromwell was a private 
person, and held no authority but his military com- 
mand. The leading politicians conferred with Crom- 
well on all the great questions, at his own house, and 
without his counsel nothing was devised, as without 
his mediation nothing done. The Parliament be- 
gan to be alarmed, and strove to check the grow- 
ing influence of their general by disbanding a portion 
of the army. Cromwell warily concealed his oppo- 
sition to this wholesome measure, and apparently 
assented to what a regard for economy > as well as 
the fears of military usurpation demanded. Accor- 
dingly the army was diminished by the disbanding 
of the militia, which the commander-in-chief was not 
loth to spare, since it was a branch of the service 
which, from its direct relations with the people, 
readily sympathized with popular feeling. He was 
content with the veteran troops, who had been disci- 
plined to fidelity, and were never unmindful of their 
gratitude to him who had led them to victory, and 
who were ever willing to obey their great leader. 

Cromwell did not, in consequence of its distance 
from London, reside in Hampton Court, which had 
been conferred upon him, but preferred to remain 
in his town residence, where he had taken up his 



His Family. 199 

quarters with his family. His purpose was to be 
in the midst of the great current of London, where 
lie might watch closely the tide of affairs which was 
to bear him into fortune. Cromwell was surround- 
ed by his family ; his eldest son, Richard, who was 
now married, alternated between his father's resi- 
dence in town and that of his wife's father, Richard 
Mayor, Esq., in the country. His son Henry, who 
had borne a manly part in the Irish invasion, had 
returned to London. Among the family circle was 
Cromwell's daughter, who had married Iretbn. She 
had become a widow on the death of her husband 
by the plague in Ireland, and was now the object 
of the sedulous courtship of Fleetwood, one of 
Cromwell's most distinguished officers, whom she 
took for her second husband. Mrs. Claypole, another 
daughter, often comes up to London, on a visit to her 
father, from her husband's country-seat in North- 
amptonshire. Cromwell's wife is of course with 
him, as well as his aged mother, who, shaking her 
head with nervous alarm at the growing greatness 
of her son, never cares that he should be long out of 
her sight. 

Young Richard Cromwell, who is indolent and 
fond of pleasure, enjoys the luxuries of the regal po- 
sition of his father, and, prone to the dissipation of 
London life, lounges away the morning in the com- 
pany of young gallants, while his wife is showing 
herself in the state carriage or receiving the visits of 



200 Oliver Cromwell. 

ceremony. The martial Henry is oftener in the 
camp than in the palace, and is never absent from a 
parade or a council. The widow Ireton, though in 
weeds, proudly promenades the park of St. James, and 
disputes the way with the showy Lady Lambert, 
who, on the score of her being the wife of a 
Lord-Deputy of Ireland, has assumed the precedence 
of a daughter of Cromwell. The widow, however, 
consoles her wounded vanity in the tender attentions 
of her wooer, Fleetwood, who soon gives the envious 
lady her coveted place, in advance of the presump- 
tuous dame Lambert ; for Fleetwood is substituted 
for that lady's lord in the Irish deputyship. When 
Mr. Claypole is in town, on a visit from the country, 
Henry Somerset, Lord Herbert, eldest son of the 
Marquis of Worcester, the author of the " Century 
of Inventions," who is said to have had a dim pro- 
phetic idea of the steam-engine, is observed to be 
more than usually frequent in his visits to Whitehall. 
Cromwell, while absent in Scotland, had written to 
his wife, telling her to beware of the resort of this 
gallant nobleman to her house, "because it might 
occasion scandal," his enemies say on account of an 
intrigue with Mrs. Claypole; Cromwell himself says : 
"As if I were bargaining with him." Herbert, who af- 
ter the restoration became the Duke of Beaufort, was 
a Eoman Catholic, with Royalist tendencies, and of 
course it was not politic that he should be observ- 



Cromiuell as Politician. 201 

ed as a frequent visitor at the house of the rising 
republican. 

Cromwell, who was fifty-two years of age, in the 
full vigor of a robust life, was now possessed of vast 
experience, from the active part he had borne in a 
time more replete, from its vicissitudes and its full- 
ness of events, with lessons, than any other period of 
history. He had always a rapid and almost in- 
stinctive perception of characters, which his well-tried 
knowledge of the world had matured into an unerr- 
ing judgment of his fellow-men. Cromwell accord- 
ingly placed himself in the very midst of the active 
movement of the day, and began to mould the mol- 
ten elements of the government to his own iron 
purposes. While he never loosened the rein he 
held over the great power of the realm, his ve- 
teran soldiery, but kept them well trained and ready 
to draw his triumphal car onward to power, he was 
none the less watchful of the state. He knew that 
with the devotion of Englishmen to constitutional 
liberty, a purely, military despotism would but irri- 
tate to resistance, and could not enslave his coun- 
trymen. Cromwell accordingly strove to gain an 
ascendency by political manoeuvre, and in Parlia- 
ment became an advocate of all the popular measures 
for reform. 

Religion was also a great prop to his advance- 
ment. ' Cromwell was undoubtedly, throughout his 
career, a religious enthusiast, whose sincerity can 
9* 



202 Oliver Cromwell. 

not be doubted. He convinced himself that he was 
a chosen instrument of God, and trusting, like all 
Independents, to his own excited emotions only, for 
the evidence of his inspiration, he never doubted, but 
was a firm believer in himself. Despotic exercise 
of power, wiliness, violence, and cruelty, and all the 
means which the ambitious use for self-advancement, 
were crimes for which Cromwell is amenable; al- 
though self-judging, he may have acquitted himself, 
or even believed his vices holy virtues. 

Cromwell's religious views as an Independent, 
gave him the sympathy of all the sectaries into 
which England, set loose from the control of its Es- 
tablished Church, readily dissolved. He was there- 
fore deemed the champion of toleration, and its great 
protector against the dogmatic and absolute Presby- 
tarians. Cromwell, with the control of such power- 
ful elements, the martial spirit, the religious enthu- 
siasm, and the democratic feeling, had but warily to 
watch his opportunity and become the master of 
England. That opportunity soon offered. 

The government was carrying on its external af- 
fairs with spirit and vigor. The navigation act, 
which has been the boast for two hundred years of 
England's policy, until our day, when it has been 
abolished, was passed, chiefly with the purpose of 
striking a blow at the commerce of the Dutch who 
had all the carrying trade. By this act it was for- 
bidden that any goods should be imported into Eng- 



Victorious over the Dutch. 203 

land except in English ships or in ships of the 
country whence the goods were imported. The 
Parliament had other than commercial motives 
in this proceeding. The Dutch had harbored and 
sympathized with Charles II.; the Parliamentary am- 
bassador, Derislan, had been assassinated at the 
Hague ; and repeated attempts at settlement of the 
difficulties between the two nations had been ob- 
structed by the imperious demands of Holland. A 
naval war was the consequence, which the Dutch, 
with their famous admirals, Van Tromp and De 
Ruy ter, and the recollection of their triumphs at sea, 
entered into with a precipitate confidence of victory. 
The English had, since the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 
yielded the dominion of the seas to Holland, but 
now strove to reassert their maritime power. The 
famous Parliamentary officers, Blake, Dean, and 
Monk, were extemporized into admirals of the sea 
for the emergency, and soon won for England the 
same prestige for its might on the water as they had 
gained for it on land. Van Tromp who insultingly 
made fast a broom to the bowsprit of his vessel, with 
the proud boast that he would sweep the English 
Channel, was swept back by Blake, into the Dutch 
harbors, with all his ships shattered and many de- 
stroyed in the process. 

At home the Parliament were not acting with the 
same decision and success as abroad. They had 
long contemplated the filling up of the vacancies 



204 Oliver Cromwell. 

which had been created by " Pride's Purge," and 
still hesitated for fear of being thrown into a minor- 
ity by the popular vote. The resolution to dissolve 
the House in November, 1654, three years after the 
passage of the act, was now, although strenuously 
urged by Cromwell and the petitions of the peo- 
ple, viewed as of no effect, and there seemed to be a 
disposition on the part of Parliament to retain its 
power perpetually. They struggled more against 
their powerful enemies than in favor of their coun- 
try. Cromwell and his army were the great objects 
of their attack. Accordingly, after several previous 
unsuccessful attempts, the Parliament ordered, on the 
12th August, 1652, the Council of State to report to 
the House what had been done in regard to the re- 
trenchment of the forces. The army were on the 
alert, and on the same day the officers assembled in 
council, and resolved to submit a petition, in which 
their grievances and their desires in regard to the 
state and religion were set forth. Six of the princi- 
pal officers bore this petition to the door of the 
House. The Parliament was aghast that the army 
should thus directly interfere with the government. 
Cromwell, however, who was in his seat, skillfully 
quieted the rising alarm, and, although he had secret- 
ly instigated this movement on the part of the army, 
pretended that he had been desirous of preventing it, 
and declared on his word that if Parliament should 



The Army Petition. 205 

order the army to break their swords and throw 
them into the sea, they would obey at once. 

The petition was received with formal and official 
respect, but there were members not wanting who 
were bold enough to declare that the proceeding and 
language of the officers of the army were improper 
and arrogant towards their masters, the Parliament. 

Whitelocke, who was a member of the Council of 
State, and was on terms of confidential intimacy with 
Cromwell, has left a record of his conversation with 
him during this period. " You had better stop this 
way of petitioning by the officers of the army," said 
Whitelocke, "lest in time it may come home to 
yourself." Cromwell listened to the warning with 
an air almost of contempt. The great man feared no 
consequences beyond his power of mastery. Again, 
on another occasion Whitelocke tells us he met Crom- 
well in St. James's Park, and joined him in conversa- 
tion. On this occasion the General is said to have 
remarked, speaking of the Parliament, that " There is 
little hope of a good settlement to be made by them. 
* * * Some course must be thought on to curb 
and restrain them, or we shall be ruined by them." 
Cromwell now started the subject of a return to 
monarchy by asking : " What if a man should take 
upon him to be king f He is said then to have ar- 
gued for the necessity of a monarch for the settle- 
ment of the kingdom, but to have demurred to 
Whitelocke's proposition of bringing back the Stu- 



206 Oliver Cromwell. 

arts. Cromwell was evidently bent upon vesting the 
executive power in a single person, and equally de- 
termined that that person should not be a Stuart. 
He had many months previously stated, in a confer- 
ence with the leading members of the government, 
" That a settlement with somewhat of monarchical 
power in it would be very effectual." This idea was 
now uppermost in his mind, and he broached it freely 
in conversation with the officers of the army, the Par- 
liamentary leaders, the preachers, and his friends. 
To a Dr. Edmund Calany, a noted preacher of those 
days, with whom he discussed the all-prevailing sub- 
ject, he said in reply to the Doctor's objection that 
nine in ten of the nation would be against him in his 
idea of a sole ruler: "Very well; but what if I 
should disarm the nine, and put a sword into the 
tenth man's hand, would not that do the business ?" 

While Cromwell was watching events, Parliament 
was rapidly precipitating the expected crisis. The 
great Republican leaders, Vane, Algernon Sidney, 
Ludlow, Hutchinson, and Harrison, were undoubtedly 
incorruptible patriots, and although somewhat Uto- 
pian political schemers, were guided in their conduct 
by the purest love of their country ; but there were 
many members of Parliament who were corrupt, 
intriguing, and self-seeking. The advancement of 
themselves and their friends was the controlling pur- 
pose of such, who were willing to sacrifice all for 
their selfish ends. Bribery and the abuse of patron- 



The Vices of Parliament. 207 

age became manifest, and created general scandal. 
To these vices were added, on the part of some of 
v$he members, a loose habit of life, which was par- 
ticularly marked in men who were professed Puri- 
tans, and especially obnoxious to the exacting reli- 
gious sentiment of the country. Public opinion was 
outraged, and called loudly for redress. 

To these private vices were added the political 
offenses of the Parliament. An act of dissolution 
was proposed, which, as it secured the election of the 
present members, and the right of them to decide 
upon the election of others, was deemed but a device, 
by which the people were to be deceived with the 
pretense of a new Parliament, while the old one 
should retain its former power. The public was en- 
raged at this deception. Cromwell made a great 
show of indignation, though he was probably highly 
delighted at this false movement of the Parliament 
which was about to throw the game into his hands. 

The debate on the question of dissolution in the 
House was drawing to a close. Cromwell was with 
his officers at Whitehall, deliberating upon the ap- 
proaching crisis, when Colonel Ingoldsby broke in 
upon them and hurriedly exclaimed : " If you mean 
to do any thing decisive, you have no time to lose." 
Cromwell gave orders on the instant, that a company 
of his own faithful musketeers should proceed to the 
House and guard every outlet, while he, accompa- 
nied by Lambert and some six officers, hastened to 



208 Oliver Cromwell. 

the spot. He had taken care to rid his person of all 
military display, and presented himself clad in his 
plain citizen's " suit of black with gray worsted 
stockings." 

Cromwell entered the House, and took his usual 
seat ; St. John went and seated himself by his side, 
to whom Cromwell said : " That he was come to do 
that which grieved him to the very soul, and that he 
had earnestly with tears prayed to God against. 
Nay, that he had rather be torn in pieces than do it ; 
but there was a necessity laid upon him therein, in 
order to the glory of God and the good of the nation." 
The Lord Chief- Justice replied: "That he knew not 
what he meant ; but did pray that what it was, which 
must be done, might have a happy issue for the gen- 
eral good." 

Vane had been speaking and urging the passage of 
the bill with great vehemency ; and the question was 
about to be put, when Cromwell beckoned to Harri- 
son, who was his devoted adherent, and whispered : 
" This is the time ; I must do it !" Cromwell then 
arose, and taking off his hat, began to speak. He 
opened his speech with commendation of the Parlia- 
ment for their care of the public good; but he 
abruptly changed his tone, and rebuked them for 
their injustice, their selfishness, and corrupt practices. 
In a loud voice, and with a resolute manner, he ex- 
claimed : " You have no heart to do any thing for the 
public good ; your intention was to perpetuate your- 



Dismisses Parliament. 209 

self in power. But your time is come ! The Lord 
has done with you!" A great commotion ensued 
among the members, and several arose, struggling to 
be heard; but Cromwell drowned their noise by 
thundering out : " You think this, perhaps, is not par- 
liamentary language, but expect none other from 
me." 

Sir Peter Wentworth, however, succeeded in ob- 
taining a hearing, and angrily declared : " That this 
was the most unbecoming language he had ever 
heard within the walls of Parliament, and that it 
should be uttered by a trusty servant, one whom 
they had so highly honored, was — " Cromwell here 
interrupted him, crying out : " Come, come ! we have 
had enough of this ; I'll put an end to your prating !" 
and turning to Harrison, he whispered : " Call them 
in." He then clapped his hat upon his head, and 
sprung forward on the floor of the House, and com- 
menced speaking with great energy, stamping his 
foot, and loudly vociferating : " You are no Parlia- 
ment! it is not fit that you should sit here any 
longer. Begone ! I say begone !" Twenty or thirty 
musketeers had now entered and thronged into the 
House. " Fetch him down !" shouted Cromwell to 
Harrison, as he pointed with his finger at Lenthall, 
the Speaker. Harrison ordered him down, but he 
refused, and Cromwell repeated : " Take him down !" 
when Harrison, giving his hand to the Speaker, led 
him from his chair. Cromwell continued to pace up 



210 Oliver Cromwell. 

and down on the floor of the House ; as he passed in 
front of the table where the mace lay, he exclaimed : 
" Take away that bauble ; what shall we do with it 
here?" 

Cromwell now turned his eyes upon young Alger- 
non Sidney, and said to Harrison : " Put him out !" 
Sidney kept his seat. "Put him out!" repeated 
Cromwell. Two of Cromwell's officers placed their 
hands upon Sidney's shoulders, as if about to use 
force, when he rose and moved towards the door. 
All the members now began to leave, and as they 
withdrew, Cromwell, pointing to each, called one a 
drunkard, another an adulterer, and a third a base 
robber. As Vane passed, he said to Cromwell : 
" This is not honest ; yea, it is against morality and 
common honesty." The General answered him : 
" Sir Harry Vane ! Sir Harry Vane ! Sir Harry 
Vane ! the Lord deliver me from Sir Harry Vane !" 
The House was now cleared of every member, and 
Cromwell, ordering out his soldiers, seized the ob- 
noxious Dissolution Bill and other papers, locked the 
doors, and put the keys in his pocket. A Royalist 
wit, watching his opportunity during the night, affixed 
a placard to the door of the House, and next morn- 
ing was read in large letters : 

"THIS HOUSE TO BE LET, UNFURNISHED." 

Cromwell, on joining his officers at Whitehall, who 
had remained there, anxiously awaiting the event, 




Dissolution of the Long Parliament. p. 210. 



Expels the Council of State. 211 

said to them, alluding to his doings in Parliament : 
" "When I went there, I did not think to have done 
this. But, perceiving the Spirit of God so strong 
upon me, I would not consult flesh and blood." 
With Cromwell, his own ambitious designs and will- 
ful purposes were the " Spirit of God," as the wicked 
promptings of his own heart will ever be deemed by 
the fanatic who believes his own excited emotions 
inspirations from God. Fanaticism deifies itself, and 
worships the disgusting Fetish of its own perverted 
imaginings. 

Cromwell treated the Council of State with the 
same contempt as he had the Parliament, and swept 
it away with a breath. They were in session at 
Whitehall ; Bradshaw was presiding. Cromwell, 
with Lambert and Harrison only, enters the cham- 
ber and says : " Gentlemen, if you are met here only 
as private persons, you shall not be disturbed ; but 
if as a Council of State, this is no place for you ; and 
since you can't but know what was done at the House 
this morning, so take notice that Parliament is dis- 
solved." Bradshaw replied: "Sir, we have heard 
what you did at the House this morning, and before 
many hours all England will hear it. But, sir, you 
are mistaken to think that Parliament is dissolved ; 
for no power under Heaven can dissolve them but 
themselves. Therefore take you notice of that." 
That was the end of the Council of State. 

" We do not even hear a dog bark at their going," 



212 Oliver Cromwell. 

said Cromwell derisively, when speaking of the gen- 
eral satisfaction with his high-handed dissolution of 
Parliament ; but he, notwithstanding, thought it poli- 
tic to issue a declaration in the name of himself and 
the army, to justify to the people his conduct. Crom- 
well now addressed himself to providing for the ur- 
gent necessity of a new government. Having invited 
the leading men of the country to a conference at 
Whitehall, it was resolved to summon a hundred and 
forty persons to take upon themselves the supreme 
authority of the state. In the mean time a council 
of thirteen was appointed to carry on the govern- 
ment. An invitation was sent to Sir Harry Vane to 
form one of this body. This incorruptible repub- 
lican was one of the ablest men in England, and 
Cromwell was anxious to secure his services, although 
he had allowed himself to treat him during the vio- 
lent outrages upon Parliament with contemptuous 
insult. Vane returned the invitation with the answer, 
that " He believed the reign of the saints would now 
begin, but, for his part, he was willing to defer his 
share in it until he came to heaven." 

Of the hundred and forty persons summoned, all 
sent in their assent but two. This body formed 
what has been contemptuously termed the Barebones 
Parliament, from the name of one Barbone, a lea- 
ther-dealer, in London, whom the Cavaliers took a 
witty pleasure in calling Barebones, and christening 
the whole body after him, who was but an insigni- 



Naval Victory. 213 

ficant member. There were several nobles and 
many of the most distinguished men of England in 
the " Barebones Parliament." Admiral Blake, who 
had just gained another glorious victory for England, 
was a member. 

Cromwell's rule was inaugurated by one of the 
greatest naval successes in the annals of England. 
Robert Blake, the brave Colonel of the land, the in- 
vincible Admiral of the seas, had again triumphed 
over the Dutch. Von Tromp, with De Ruyter and 
De Witt, commanded the fleet of Holland. Blake, 
in command of the English ships, was supported by 
Monk and Dean. Blake, with a portion of the fleet, 
had sailed to the North Sea. Monk and Dean, with 
the remainder, were cruising in the neighborhood of 
the Straits of Dover. The Dutch Admiral chose 
this moment to seek an encounter with the British, 
and sailed in chase of the force under the command 
of Dean and Monk. The English no sooner ob- 
served the enemy, than they made ready for an en- 
gagement, and showed great eagerness for the conflict. 
The action began, when Dean was struck by a can- 
non-shot at the first broadside, and fell by the side 
of Monk, who was with him on the deck of their 
flag-ship, the Resolute. Monk, taking off his cloak, 
threw it over the body of his dead comrade, and re- 
newed the struggle. The fight continued until night, 
when the fleets ceased firing, the victory remaining 
undecided. 



214 Oliver Cromwell. 

Von Tromp tried to haul to the windward before 
resuming the engagement, but was thwarted in his 
purpose by the clever handling of the English ships. 
The battle re-commenced, and the combatants were 
in the very height of a desperate and uncertain en- 
counter, both fighting with fierce bravery, and ma- 
naging their ships with great skill, when firing was 
heard in the distance, by the Dutch ships. It was a 
salvo of artillery from Blake, who was coming up, 
in full sail, to the aid of his countrymen, and was 
thus announcing his approach. A single man-of- 
war, under the command of a namesake of the Ad- 
miral, Captain Robert Blake, a young officer, was 
the first to bear down upon the enemy, and breaking 
through the line of the Dutch, to join his country- 
men, who hailed his arrival with loud huzzas, which 
were echoed from ship to ship, throughout the whole 
English fleet. 

Blake soon followed, and the presence of the Sea 
King, as he was called, inspirited his countrymen, 
and gave fresh vigor to the fight. The Dutch never 
flinched at this accession of strength to the enemy, 
but resisted to the last, and seemed resolute upon 
victory. The impatient Von Tromp determined to 
come to close quarters, with his flag-ship the Bro- 
derode, and accordingly grappled with the James, 
where the pennant of the English Admiral Penn 
was flying. They closed, and Von Tromp boarded 
the Englishman, but was soon driven back to his 



The Dutch Vanquished. 215 

own deck by the English, who had become the as- 
sailants in their turn, and were about mastering the 
Broderode, when Van Tromp, who was determined 
not to be taken alive, threw a match into the pow- 
der-magazine, and blew up the ship, with all on 
board, and hardly a man escaped with the exception 
of the Admiral himself, who was miraculously saved. 
Von Tromp was supposed to be no more, and a 
panic, in consequence, threw the Dutch into confu- 
sion. The Admiral, who had been picked up by 
one of the fast-sailing cutters, sailed throughout his 
fleet, and tried to rally his men, but without effect, 
and he was forced to take refuge on the coast of 
Holland. The news of this victory was hailed with 
great joy in England, and received in Holland 
with corresponding discouragement. De Witt, in 
the Assembly of the States, declared that " the Eng- 
lish are at present masters both of us and of the 
seas." 

The British won their victory on the 3d June, 
1653. On the 29th of July, Von Tromp, with one 
hundred and twenty sail, again put to sea, in spite of 
the English blockade, and assumed a fighting atti- 
tude. The British fleet, under Monk, was ready to 
accept the challenge, but instead of coming to an 
engagement under the land, made an offing, in order 
to have more space for action. As Monk hauled 
off, one of the Dutch captains remarked to Von 
Tromp, that the enemy was flying, and did not 



216 Oliver Cromwell. 

dare to stand one of his broadsides. " Sir," an- 
swered the Admiral, who knew the English of old, 
" look to your charge ; were the enemy but twenty 
sail, they would never refuse to fight us." The 
combatants came to an engagement on a Sunday 
morning, the 31st of July. The Dutch were to the 
windward, and their shots told with great effect, so 
the English determined to come to close quarters. 
They then grappled with each other, yard-arm to 
yard-arm, and fought from deck to deck. While 
the struggle was thus in the thickest, Von Tromp was 
singled out by an English sharp-shooter, in the 
main-top, and shot through the head. As he fell 
he cried out : " It is all over with me, but keep up 
your courage." The death of Von Tromp settled 
the affair ; the Dutch, panic-stricken, gave up all for 
lost, and made off with the remnant of their magni- 
ficent fleet, for their own harbors. The English in 
the engagement lost only two ships, while the Dutch 
were losers of thirty. England was now the ac- 
knowledged mistress of the seas. 

Cromwell's legislative assembly, commonly called 
the Barebone or Short Parliament, convened on the 
4th of July, 1653. The council chamber in White- 
hall was the place of meeting. A hundred and 
twenty presented themselves on the first day; as 
they entered, they gave a ticket at the door, upon 
which their names were inscribed, and then took 
their places at a long table in the centre of the 



Barebone Parliament. 217 

chamber. When the members were seated, Crom- 
well entered, followed by a large number of the 
officers of the army. Every one rose and took 
off his hat, as the great man approached. Crom- 
well also uncovered, and placing himself with his 
back to the window, opposite the middle of the 
table, and with his hand upon a chair, he commenced 
his speech. He began with promising that he would 
not detain the assembly long in consequence of the 
heat, from the scantiness and crowded state of the 
chamber. This promise he, however, did not keep, 
but indulged in an harangue of more than two hours 
and a half in length. Cromwell was never in the 
habit of preparing his speeches, and as he trusted to 
the inspiration of the moment, they were long, dis- 
cursive, full of repetitions, and not always very in- 
telligible. He had no pretensions to rhetorical skill, 
but always spoke emphatically and impressively, 
though not with dialectic art, nor with elegance of 
language. In his speech he gave a history of the 
great events of the civil war, which he commented 
upon with a proud sense of satisfaction at the part he 
had borne, although he was careful to attribute " all 
the glory to God." He entered into a lengthy justi- 
fication of his violent dissolution oi* the late Parlia- 
ment, and emphatically urged, that his conduct on 
that day was not premeditated, but the inspiration 
of the moment. He concluded by directing the at- 
tention of the Assembly to the affairs of the nation, 
its relations abroad, and its work at home. 
10 



218 Oliver Cromwell. 

The Barebone Parliament did not long survive. 
It was composed of impracticable theorists and wild 
sectaries ; the former were for all kinds of impos- 
sible political abstractions, and the latter cherished 
every variety of religious delusion. Utopian schemes 
of government and society were proposed by the 
one ; irreverent and degrading modes of worship 
were advocated by the other. The political dream- 
ers acted as if earth were heaven ; the fanatics, as if 
heaven were earth. The former took no account of 
man in his corruption; the latter had no reverence 
for God in his immaculate purity. Man was deified 
by the one ; Deity humanized by the other. 

Cromwell soon found that the new Parliament 
was unfit for the practical government of the coun- 
try, and accordingly marched his troops again to 
Westminster, and cleared the house at the muzzles 
of his muskets. There was but little resistance to 
this renewed violence. Some twenty-seven, how- 
ever, headed by Harrison, resisted the first sum- 
mons, and determined to keep their seats. There- 
upon the officers, Colonel Goffe and Major White, 
ordered in the soldiers, routed out the pertinacious 
remnant, closed the doors, and put the keys in their 
pockets. White is reported to have said to Harri- 
son, who clung to his seat : " What do you here ?" 
" We are seeking the Lord," replied Harrison. 
" Then," replied White, " you may go elsewhere ; 
for to my certain knowledge, he has not been here 



Made Lord Protector. 210 

these twelve years." This was the last agony of 
the Little Parliament, which had only lived a short 
five months. 

Cromwell was in reality the sovereign of Eng- 
land, and when, on the 16th of December, 1653, 
he was called the Lord-Protector of England, he 
obtained a new name, but not an accession of 
power. 

There was great state, however, on the occasion. 
Cromwell, habited in a rich suit of black velvet, with 
a cloak of the same, wearing upon his head a beaver 
hat with a broad gold band, rode to Westminster 
Hall, accompanied by a stately procession. His 
carriage was surrounded by the principal officers in 
the army, with their swords drawn, and preceded by 
his guards, and a large number of gentlemen who 
walked bareheaded. 

The Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal, the 
Council of State, the Judges of England, the Lord 
Mayor, and all the civic authorities, robed in their 
scarlet, and riding in state carriages, formed a pom- 
pous procession, which led in advance the coming 
of the hero. On the arrival of Cromwell in the 
Hall of Westminster, he proceeded to the further 
cud, where a chair of state had been placed, and 
stood in front of it facing the throng. Major-Gene- 
ral Lambert announced the dissolution of the late 
Parliament, and humbly besought, in behalf of the 
army and nation, the Lord-General to accept the 



220 Oliver Cromwell. 

office of Protector of the Commonwealth of England, 
Scotland, and Ireland. 

Cromwell hesitated a moment, with an air of mo- 
desty, and then accepted the proffered dignity. A 
large parchment document was now unrolled, and a 
person appointed for the purpose, read from it, the 
new constitution. Cromwell having signed the do- 
cument, received from Lambert, who prostrated 
himself on his knees before him, the civic sword in 
its scabbard, ungirding his own and putting it aside 
at the same moment. He then, after some urging, 
seated himself in the chair of state and assumed his 
hat while all present remained uncovered. Procla- 
mation of the Protectorship throughout the country 
followed, which was cheerfully accepted, but not 
rapturously welcomed. 

Some of Cromwell's old friends were now his bit- 
terest enemies. The republicans saw with sad dis- 
appointment their political abstractions given to the 
wind by the rude breath of the dominant Protector, 
while the disorganizing socialists and the religious 
sectaries, who were for no government in the state 
and no authority in religion, struggled against the 
new power which was determined to establish both. 
The Anabaptists, Millenarians, and other fanatics in 
whose reckless enthusiasm there was no sense of 
danger and no fear of consequences, denounced the 
Protector with loud and angry abuse. One of the 
loudest-mouthed fanatic exhorters of the day cried out 



Opposition, 221 

to an immense audience gathered in the most crowd- 
ed part of London : " Go and tell your Protector that 
he has deceived the Lord's people — that he is a per- 
jured villain. But he will not reign long; he will 
end worse than the last Protector did, that crooked 
tyrant, Richard. Tell him I said it." Imprison- 
ment was the consequence of this intemperate burst. 
Llarrison, who had been the sworn friend of Crom- 
well, and his right-hand man in the violent dissolu- 
tion of the Long Parliament, gave a peremptory 
" No" to a demand whether he would support the 
Protectorship. He was deprived of his commission 
in the army, and sent, with an order to keep quiet, 
to his country-home in Staffordshire. 

Lilburne, the old Leveller, was again noisily dis- 
turbing the peace of the country ; and such was the 
ready hearing his passionate appeals received, and 
the sympathy his popular efforts obtained, that 
all attempts of the government to repress him by 
the might of the law failed. He was tried and ac- 
quitted ; but in spite of the verdict and the boiste- 
rous support of his many thousand friends, the Protec- 
tor interposed his strong arm, and silenced the clamor 
of the noisy demagogue within the walls of the Tower. 
Lilburne, thus subdued and finally broken-hearted, 
sued for pardon, and in course of time was set free, 
and died soon after in retirement in the country. 
Many of the officers in the army, who demurred to 
the new authority of the Protector, were deprived 



222 Oliver Cromi 

of their commissions. Cromwell, however, mindful 
of his old* relations with the sectaries, and of his ob- 
ligations to them, preferred conciliation to force, and 
tried the former before he resorted to the latter. 
He would send for the religious enthusiasts who 
were agitating against his government, and inviting 
them to a friendly conversation, put them perfectly at 
their ease, insisting upon their keeping their hats on 
in his presence. He would tell such that he would 
have preferred the shepherd's staff to the Protector- 
ship, and that he had only assumed the latter to pre- 
vent the country from falling into disorder. He 
would then close the conference with proposing 
prayer, and joined heartily in the religious exercise : as 
he poured out his fervid strain of pious supplication, 
he was affected to tears. . Cromwell thus won over 
some of his most active opponents. Milton remain- 
ed throughout a fast friend of Cromwell, and declar- 
ed the Protectorate to be a necessity of the times. 
The poet was now blind, but still was not unmindful 
of outward things, and would awaken from his poet- 
ical reverie, and speak a powerful word for the cause 
of his friend. 

The old enemy, the Royalist party, now that many 
of Cromwell's former friends were disaffected, took 
occasion to renew their plots, and conspired against 
the Protector. Eleven Royalists were caught in a 
tavern in London, plotting against Cromwell's life 
and government. They were sent to the Tower, and 



A Royalist Conspiracy. 223 

the Protector seemed disposed to deal leniently with 
them, when a secret proclamation was discovered, 
which purported to be issued in the name of Charles 
II., and gave free leave, "by pistol, sword, or poison, 
or by any other way or means whatsoever, to des- 
troy the life of the said Oliver Cromwell," and pro- 
mised a magnificent reward to the successful assas- 
sin. This was probably the work of some intempe- 
rate inferior Eoyalist, and not that of the exiled King 
or his chosen advisers. Some of the royal party were 
discovered on the eve of carrying out the detestable 
principles of this document, and were rigorously dealt 
with, some being hung, and others imprisoned. 

The Protector now with the sceptre of a king, rob- 
ed himself in the royal purple. The King's apart- 
ments at the palace of Whitehall were renewed with 
more than regal luxury and splendor, and the Lord- 
Protector duly installed in the home of the monarchs. 
All the paraphernalia of regal display surrounded 
him. Ushers, with pompous ceremony admit to his 
presence ; state-carriages roll the great man through 
the capital ; life-guards escort him in his exits and 
entrances ; and a regal expenditure of half a million 
annually, attests the superb existence of the sovereign. 
The ambassadors of foreign nations were only ad- 
mitted into the presence of Cromwell, with the pom- 
pous etiquette usual in monarchical courts. A re- 
ception of an embassy from the Netherlands is thus 
* officially described by the ambassadors themselves : 



224 Oliver Cromwell. 

" We were fetched in his Highness's coach, accompa- 
nied with the Lords Strickland and Jones, with the 
master of the ceremonies, and "brought into the great 
banqueting-room at Whitehall, where his Highness 
had never given audience before. He stood upon a pe- 
destal, raised with three steps high from the floor, being 
attended by the Lords-President Laurence, Viscount 
Lisle, Skippon, Mackworth, Pickering, Montague, 
and Mr. Secretary Thurlow, together with the Lord 
Claypole, his Master of the Horse. After three re- 
verences made at entrance, in the middle, and before 
the steps, which his Highness answered every time 
with reciprocal reverences, we came up to the steps, 
and delivered to him, with a compliment of induction, 
our letters of credence. He did receive them with- 
out opening them ; the reason whereof, we suppose 
to be our delivering of the copies and translations 
thereof in the morning to Mr. Thurlow ; so that we 
presently began our discourse with a compliment of 
thanks for his good inclination shown in the treaty of 
peace, etc. * * * To which he answered with 
many serious and significant expressions of recipro- 
cal inclination, etc., * * * for which we once more 
returned him thanks, and presented unto his High- 
ness twenty of our gentlemen, who went in before 
us, being followed by twenty more, to have the honor 
to kiss his hand ; but instead thereof, his Highness 
advanced near the steps, and bowed to all the gentle- 
men one by one, and put out his hand to them at a 



If is Power. 225 

distance, by way of congratulation. Whereupon we 
were conducted back again after the same manner." 
This royal style of the Protector gave currency to 
the rumor that Cromwell was about reestablish- 
ing the monarchy, with himself as king, and his 
devoted friends as peers under the various noble 
titles, from a duke to a baronet. While the world 
was amusing itself with these trifles, the Protector 
was busy at the serious work of governing England ; 
and although he was inwardly pleased that he should 
be thus exalted in the imagination of the people, 
he preferred the lower title of Protector, with its 
power, to the loftier one of King without it. He did 
not care to lose his firm foothold on the obedience of 
the people of England, by springing at a visionary 
crown, which floated in their imaginations. 

Cromwell was not the man to bear an empty title ; 
and he no sooner was declared Protector of England 
than he manfully set about vindicating his claim to 
it. When the news of his Protectorate reached Ire- 
land, the Council of Government over which Crom- 
well's son-in-law, Fleetwood, presided, only gave in 
its adherence by a majority of a single one. Lud- 
low openly resisted, and resigned his place in the 
Council, but retained his commission in the army. 
Cromwell sent his son Henry, who had proved his 
courage and capacity during the civil war, to settle 
Ireland, where disaffection threatened soon to burst out 
into open and violent opposition. The young Crom- 
10* 



226 Oliver Cromwell 

well executed his mission with so much vigor, cou- 
rage, and discretion, that he returned to London 
after an absence only of three weeks, leaving Ireland 
quiet and firmly bound in subjection to his father. 

The Highlands of Scotland were still in a state of 
rebellion, and the Protector accordingly sends the 
active and intrepid Monk to put it down. He suc- 
ceeds with his usual good fortune, and after having 
crushed out the last remnant of rebellion, which, 
from fancied security, had taken refuge in the fast- 
nesses of the mountains of Scotland, Monk proceeds 
to Edinburgh and secures the country in its allegi- 
ance by his wise and resolute administration. The 
Protector by an ordinance confirms the good work, 
and incorporates Scotland with England. 

The foreign relations of the government were 
handled with the same resolute spirit. A treaty of 
peace, on terms dictated by the exacting Protector, 
was concluded with Holland, the Protestant Can- 
tons of Switzerland, and the Hanseatic towns of Ger- 
many. Sweden was more refractory. Whitelocke, 
the English ambassador, had negotiated for many 
months in vain, when the eccentric Christina made 
him a confident of her intended abdication. This was 
a sad blow for the liopes of the English envoy ; for all 
his expectations of peace were founded upon the known 
inclination of the Queen to an alliance with the English 
government. Christina had become a warm parti- 
san of the revolution, and an ardent admirer of 



The Queen of Sweden, Ids Partisan. 227 

Cromwell, for whom she declared she had as great a 
respect and honor as for any man alive. She liken- 
ed him to her ancestor, Gustavus I., who from a pri- 
vate condition had become sovereign of Sweden. 
She frequently conversed with Whitelocke upon the 
events in England, and highly extolled all the great 
actors in therii. She especially commended Milton's 
power of reasoning and the eloquence of his writings. 
One day at a court-ball, Whitelocke was invited 
to lead off the dance with her. He, after much mo- 
dest reserve, finally consented, and as they resumed 
their seats, the Queen remarked that the Dutch had 
reported that there were none of the Parliament 
party but who were base mechanics, and that she 
had given "Whitelocke her hand in the dance to test 
him ; and she concluded by declaring that the Dutch 
were slanderers, and that he was a gentleman and 
bred a gentleman. The Queen now ratified a treaty 
of peace with the Protector, and determined that her 
last act of government should be a compliment to 
Cromwell whom she so much admired. Christina 
then abdicated her throne. A favorable treaty with 
Denmark immediately followed, which secured the 
passage of British vessels through the Sound. Crom- 
well now achieved his great purpose ; he was in 
terms of alliance with all Protestant Europe, and 
England stood forth as the great champion of Pro- 
testantism. 



CHAPTER IX. 

WHILE the Protestant powers of Europe grate- 
fully secured themselves under the protection 
of Oliver Cromwell, the Catholic monarchs studiously 
sought his friendship. The rival nations of Spain 
and France competed for the alliance with the Pro- 
tector, and strove to acquire it at the expense of each 
other. Spain sent to Cromwell an ambassador ex- 
traordinary, who, in behalf of that haughty nation, 
proposed the most conciliatory terms, and offered the 
most liberal sacrifices for the friendship of Cromwell. 
Money, honor, and national policy were all profusely 
poured out at the feet of the English ruler. Spain 
would oppose the claims of Charles II. to his heredi- 
tary crown, and compel France to the same dishon- 
orable policy ; Spain would pay an annual tribute of 
six hundred thousand crowns a year to England ; 
Spain would wage war with Louis XIV. ; Spain, in a 
word, would promise all to secure the great Crom- 
well for an ally. 

Erance even outbid her rival for the friendship of 
the Protector. The magnificent Louis addressed the 
most obsequious and complimentary letters to Crom- 



Courted by Monaxchs. 229 

well. The French ambassador to England was 
raised to the highest diplomatic rank, and ordered to 
support his dignity with the greatest splendor, that 
full honor might be done to the popular sovereign of 
Great Britain. Louis le Grand came down from 
his stilted magnificence, and condescendingly offered 
to adopt the parvenu Cromwell into the family of 
kings with the endearing appellation of Mori Cousin^ 
a recognition of relationship which he proudly re- 
jected for the less intimate and more dignified title 
of " My Lord the Protector." Charles II. was living 
in Cologne ; Louis promised, in order to conciliate 
Cromwell, that the rest of his family, who were then 
under the protection of France, should join him. 
The French king offered his aid in restoring Dun- 
kirk to the possession of the English, and promised 
to pay a liberal subsidy of a million or more into the 
British treasury. Cardinal Mazarin, who was the 
minister of Louis XIV., was profuse in his compli- 
ments and courtesies. u Tell me," he writes to the 
French ambassador in England, " whether it would 
be well to send some Barbary horses to M. Le Pro- 
tecteur, and tell me whether it would be too great a 
familiarity to send him a present of wine." 

Cromwell received these homages to his greatness 
with the personal indifference of a truly great man, 
but endeavored, like a prudent statesman, to bend 
them to the advantage of his policy. He leaned 
towards an alliance with France, but he carefully 



230 Oliver CromiveU. 

withheld his pledge to either suitor until he was pre- 
pared for action. Spain and France were both in 
turn led to hope for a decision in their favor, while 
the Protector was balancing. Cromwell demanded 
better terms from each. From Spain he wanted re- 
ligious toleration for English subjects, and free navi- 
gation in the West-Indies. Of France he demanded 
the banishment of the Stuarts and English Royalists, 
more money, the yielding up of Brest until Dunkirk 
should be taken, and toleration for the French Pro- 
testants. Neither power was prepared to grant so 
much, while Cromwell was not disposed to bate a jot 
of his demands. Spain and France were thus kept 
in suspense, but continued to rival each other in their 
assiduous court to the English ruler. 

Of constitutional kings it has been said that they 
reign, but do not govern. Cromwell was a sovereign 
who governed, but -did not reign. His power was 
acknowledged everywhere, abroad and at home ; and 
where his will prompted its exercise, no fear weak- 
ened nor favor appeased it. As he vigorously car- 
ried out his foreign policy, so he rigorously adminis- 
tered his domestic government. The law of the land 
was never so resolutely executed as under the rule 
of the Protector. The execution of a brother of the 
Portuguese ambassador was a vindication of justice 
which no government in the world, in that age, would 
have ventured but Cromwell's. Don Pantaleon de 
Sa had got into a street-brawl, one day, with young 



A bold Act of Justice. 231 

Major Gerard. Swords were drawn, and an encoun- 
ter ensued, in which the Portuguese Don was worsted. 
He accordingly hastened to his brother the Portu- 
guese ambassador's house, and arming about twenty 
persons attached to the embassy, issued out to re- 
venge his wounded dignity. On reaching the place 
of the former encounter, which was Exeter 'Change, 
one of the most frequented parts of London, the vin- 
dictive Portuguese and his crew set upon a person 
who was mistaken for Gerard, and killed him. A 
great exciterfient and disturbance followed, w T hich 
were quieted by the intervention of an armed guard, 
who seized Don Pantaleon and thrust him into prison. 
He was tried, convicted, and condemned to be be- 
headed. The rights of ambassadors were urged in 
his behalf; his brother solicited with all his great 
influence ; Portugal interposed her power : but Crom- 
well stood firm, and nobly vindicated the law of Eng- 
land. Don Pantaleon lost his head. Major Gerard, 
who had in the mean time been condemned for a Eoy- 
alist conspiracy by a tragic coincidence suffered 
within the same hour. The Portuguese ambassador, 
on the very day of the execution, signed a treaty 
with England, and took his departure a few hours be- 
fore his brother recorded with his blood the impar- 
tiality of English justice. 

The first Protectorate Parliament met on Sunday, 
September 3d, 1654. In accordance with the reli- 
gious sentiment which pervaded the government, the 



232 Oliver Cromwell. 

Parliament opened its session with a sermon in 
Westminster Abbey. After the discourse was over, 
it was proposed to wait on the Protector in the 
Painted Chamber, a proposition which was acceded 
to after some opposition on the part of several mem- 
bers who cried out : " Sit still." Cromwell having 
received them with a gracious speech, the Parliament 
retired to the House, and there adjourned until next 
day. 

The Protector now formally opened Parliament 
with great pomp. He rode in his state-coach from 
Whitehall to Westminster, having his son Henry, and 
Lambert seated with him, who remained bareheaded, 
while he himself wore his hat. His lackeys, coach- 
men, and pages were tricked off in showy livery. 
Hundreds of gentlemen and officers of high rank pre- 
ceded him on foot, and uncovered ; the Life-Guards 
guarded his carriage; Claypole, his son-in-law, the 
Master of the Horse, with a gallant steed in rich 
trappings, the Commissioners of the Great Seal and 
of the Treasury, with a body of soldiers, followed. 
On the arrival of the procession at Westminster, the 
Protector alighted, and passing through the avenue 
formed by his guards, entered the church, followed 
by the chief officers of state, with their swords, maces, 
and batons of office. Cromwell took his seat by the 
side of the pulpit, prominently placed above all the 
rest, while the members Were ranged on either side 
and below. From the church, after the sermon, 



The New Parliament. 233 

Cromwell was borne in his carriage to the Painted 
Chamber, and there remaining covered, took his seat 
in a chair of state, raised upon steps and canopied 
like a throne. The members of Parliament were 
ranged about on benches. The Protector, when all 
were seated and composed, rose, took off his hat and 
delivered the speech. 

Cromwell, in his speech, with proud satisfaction 
reminded the representatives of the people, of the 
results of his administration, the settlement into order 
at home, the establishment of peace abroad. He de- 
nounced the disorganizes, , the Levellers, and the 
wild religious sectaries, who had nothing in their 
hearts and minds, said he, " but overturn, overturn, 
overturn !" and justly took credit to himself for hav- 
ing crushed them. In regard to his foreign policy, 
with equal pride he exclaimed: "Now you have 
peace with Swedeland, peace with the Danes, peace 
with the Dutch, and likewise a peace with Portugal ;" 
and added : " We are upon a treaty with Prance." 
He could, with truth and a dignified consciousness of 
power, declare : "And I dare say that there is not a 
nation in Europe but is very willing to ask a good 
understanding with us." 

The Parliament now assembled was formed of 
four hundred and sixty members — four hundred for 
England and Wales, and thirty each for Ireland and 
Scotland. This was not a popular House of Com- 
mons, according to modern acceptation, for no one 



234 Oliver Cromwell. 

had been permitted to vote unless he possessed the 
sum of two hundred pounds. The chief qualifications 
for membership were good character and a pious life. 
There had been great independence asserted in the 
election, and the consequence was, that all parties 
were represented. The Protector's friends, in many 
instances, had been defeated, and a large number of 
Presbyterians favorable to a king, as well as of 
staunch republicans opposed to a sole ruler, were 
chosen members of the new Parliament. Cromwell 
was doubtful of having a majority in his favor ; he 
was sure of a strong opposition against him. 

The very first act of the Parliament was to ques- 
tion the supreme right of the Protector, by discuss- 
ing " Whether the House shall approve of the system 
of government by a single person and a Parliament V 
This was undoing all that Cromwell had done by the 
vigor of his genius ; this was unloosing the bonds of 
government, plunging England into the confusion of 
anarchy, and threatening to afflict the country with 
the renewed agonies of civil war. Cromwell accord- 
ingly interposed, and, by an arbitrary exercise of 
power, saved the country. 

For four days, from eight in the morning to the 
same hour at night, the great question had been de- 
bated in the House with unwearied pertinacity and 
much excitement, when on the morning of the fifth, 
the members, still bent on prosecuting the debate, 
presenting themselves at the doors of Parliament, 



Parliament House Locked up. 235 

found them locked and guarded by Cromwell's sol- 
diers. They were then summoned to the Painted 
Chamber, where the Protector declared to them in 
the course of one of his usual long speeches, that see- 
ing that the authority which had called them together 
had been so much slighted, he had caused a stop to 
be put to their entrance into the Parliament House 
until they signed the document which ran thus : " I 
do hereby freely promise and engage myself to be 
true and faithful to the Lord-Protector and the Com- 
monwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland ; and 
shall not (according to the tenor of the indenture 
whereby I am returned to serve in this present Par- 
liament) propose or give my consent to alter the 
government as it is settled in a single person and a 
Parliament." 

So resolute a will, and so prompt and arbitrary an 
exercise of it, made all quail before the determined 
Cromwell ; and the subdued Parliament, with the ex- 
ception of a few unshaken republicans, readily yielded 
to the terms demanded. 

While England was thus upheld by the single 
might of the great man, an accident occurred, which 
threatened to destroy this Atlas of the state. The 
Duke of Oldeliburgh in Germany had sent Cromwell 
six horses of the famous breed of Friesland. He was 
disposed one day to give them a trial, and he accord- 
ingly invited the Secretary of State, Thurlow, to a 
dinner in the open air with him in Hyde Park, where 



236 Oliver Cromwell. 

the trial was to come off. After the repast, four of 
the Friesland horses were harnessed to a carriage, 
one of the leaders being ridden by a postilion, while 
Cromwell himself, mounting the box, took the reins 
of the wheel-horses. His Secretary, Thurlow, took 
his seat inside. The animals moved on very hand- 
somely at first, Cromwell driving skillfully enough • 
but beginning to use the whip a little too freely, the 
horses grew unruly, and began to plunge and rear, 
until finally they became entirely unmanageable. 
The postilion was thrown, and Cromwell being tossed 
from his seat on the box to the pole, and thence to 
the ground, was dragged with his foot in the harness 
for some distance, but at last succeeded in extricating 
himself wliile the horses ran off. As Cromwell fell, 
the spectators were surprised by the report of a pis- 
tol which he carried in his pocket. That which he 
had taken for security nearly proved his destruction. 
Cromwell and his Secretary, Thurlow, who had been 
thrown out with a dislocated ankle, were immediately 
borne to Whitehall. The Protector was bled, and 
soon recovered from the effects of the accident, but 
was confined for some time to his room. The immi- 
nent hazard to his life, from which he had escaped, 
and the fact of his being armed with a loaded pistol, 
were the talk of the clay ; Cromwell's enemies made 
the most of both, exaggerating the effects of the 
one as they did the cause of the other. But the 
accident was neither serious nor was the possession 



Death of his Mother. 237 

of a pistol proof of any great clanger or personal 
alarm. 

Thursday, the 16th November, 1654, was a day 
of sorrow to Cromwell, from the death of his 
mother, who had reached the great age of ninety- 
four. She was deeply devoted to her son, and with 
her dying words she invoked a blessing upon his 
head. " The Lord cause his face to shine upon you ; 
and comfort you in all your adversities ; and enable 
you to do great things for the glory of your Most 
High God, and to be a relief unto his people." Thus 
prayed the pious parent. Then, with a burst of 
passionate love for her child, crying out. " My dear 
son, I leave my heart with thee. A good night !" 
she died. 

Parliament had again begun upon the intermina- 
ble question of settling the prerogative of the Pro- 
tector, and while they were debating ^about Crom- 
well's power, he was exercising it. Devoted to the 
interests of his country, and eager to signalize his 
rule by winning for England the supremacy among 
nations, he was ever on the alert to open new paths 
of glory for her triumphant progress. On Christmas 
of the year 1654, he sent abroad a large fleet, under 
the command of Venables and Penn, the father of Sir 
William Penn, the founder of the colony of Pennsyl- 
vania. The public was kept in profound ignorance 
of the object of this expedition, and the admirals 
themselves received sealed orders, which were not to 



238 Oliver Cromwell. 

be opened until they had reached a certain latitude 
remote from the shores of England. 

Cromwell was the most comprehensive of rulers ; 
there was no part of his wide realms, the interests 
of which he did not carefully watch and promote. 
The American colonies in the distant west were as 
carefully administered as the home government, and 
Cromwell's strong hand was as manifest in Virginia 
and Maryland, as in London or Edinburgh. A dis- 
pute having arisen between Lord Baltimore, Gov- 
ernor of Maryland, and Bennet, the Governor of Vir- 
ginia, in reference to the respective boundaries of 
those two colonies, Cromwell wrote to the latter one 
of his characteristic letters, where every word speaks 
that resolute will which strikes like a blow, and per- 
emptorily settles the question at once and for ever. 
" We therefore," says the letter, " will, and require 
you and all others deriving any authority from you, 
to forbear disturbing the Lord Baltimore or his offi- 
cers or people in Maryland ; and to permit all 
things to remain as they were before any disturbance 
or alteration made by you, or by any other, upon 
pretense of authority from you, till the said differences 
above mentioned be determined by us here, and we 
give farther order therein." 

The same determined spirit and prompt action 
were apparent everywhere. The Parliament was 
closely watched by Cromwell, in its studied opposi- 
tion to his power. It strove to embarrass his admin- 



Parliament Dissolved. 239 

istration by every variety of factious resistance, 
until the Protector determined to put an end to it, 
and as prompt as thought executed his purpose. The 
Parliament, according to the act of government, was 
entitled to sit for at least five months ; it had only 
been in session five lunar months, calculating each 
at twenty-eight days. Cromwell was impatient, and 
he computed, according to the military calendar, 
in which each pay-month came round every twenty- 
eight days. By this ingenious expedient he could 
do what he was resolved upon doing at once, with a 
show of regard for constitutional law. Cromwell, 
with his usual pomp and circumstance, proceeded to 
Westminister, and on the morning of the 22d January, 
1655, summoned the Parliament to the Painted 
Chamber, where he addressed the members with one 
of his usually long speeches, which concluded thus : 
" I think it my duty to tell you, that it is not for the 
profit of these nations, nor for common and public 
good, for you to continue here any longer ; and there- 
fore I do declare unto you that I do dissolve this 
Parliament." 

Cromwell was justified in this bold step by self- 
preservation. The very existence of his government 
was hazarded by the further continuance of the Par-' 
liament, whose fictions opposition to the Protector 
and his power, had encouraged his enemies even to 
open rebellion. The Royalists were in active com- 
munication with the disaffected throughout the Com- 



240 Oliver Cromwell. 

monwealth. Charles II., from his exile in Cologne, 
was in constant correspondence with his adherents in 
England, who were busy fomenting discord, and 
sent back to the King the most encouraging accounts 
of their success. The disorganizing Levellers, and 
the inveterate Republicans of the army, were bitter 
and uncompromising in their hostility to Cromwell ; 
and to overthrow him, were ready to make common 
cause even with their own enemies, provided they 
were not friends of the Protector. Conspiracies 
were discovered in the army, the ringleaders of 
which were two officers, Major Wildman and Colonel 
Sexby, old friends of Lilburne, the Leveller — rude, 
violent men, who had sprung from the ranks, and 
who, bred in the fermentation and disorder of civil 
war, flourished only in anarchy and confusion. These 
melancholy carrion-birds hoped to fatten again on 
the dissolving carcase of a nation into which Crom- 
well had breathed the breath of life. They had suc- 
ceeded by their croakings in gathering about a large 
number of the army, officers and soldiers. Colonels 
Overton, O'Key, Alured and Cobbett were the 
principal among the former, and being in constant 
communication with Charles II., although Republi. 
cans, had pledged themselves to act in concert with 
the Royalists. These men, however, were bent upon 
destruction, not restoration ; and hailed the King, not 
as a friend of themselves, but as an enemy of Crom- 
well. 



A Conspiracy Crushed. 241 

The Protector was prepared for the danger, and 
acted with consummate skill, as well as with cool 
fortitude. He summoned the Lord-Mayor and the 
authorities of London into his presence, and an- 
nouncing to them the fact of the conspiracy, ordered 
them to be on the alert, with their train-bands. 
Overton, who was most active among the conspira- 
tors, held a command in the army in Scotland, and 
was about, it was believed, in conjunction with some 
Royalist and Republican intriguers, to pounce upon 
Monk, who was the Commander-in-chief, possess 
himself of his person, and march into England. 
Cromwell was aware of the plot, and ordered Monk 
to arrest him ; and Overton was accordingly arrested 
and sent to London, where the Protector lodged him 
in the Tower. Major Wildman was sent to keep 
Overton company. Other rabid fanatics and disor- 
ganizes were muzzled and chained, with the same 
effective promptitude. Cromwell now having dis- 
posed of the Republican members of the conspiracy, 
whom he treated with marked leniency — for they had 
been his friends, and he hoped to have them as 
friends again — he put out his strong arm and crushed 
the Royalist remnant. 

Charles II. and his right-hand man, Hyde, after- 
ward the Earl of Clarendon, the chancellor and histo 
rian, had built high hopes upon the expected Ren 
movement in England. They had come down to the 
coast of Holland, in readiness to cross over at the 
11 



242 Oliver Cromwell. 

moment of success. Cromwell, always vigilant, was 
aware in advance of every step of the proposed Roy- 
alist rising. Manning, a confidential messenger of 
Charles, had been long since faithless to his trust, and 
had been won over to the Commonwealth. By him 
every particular of the Royalist plot was disclosed, 
and the Protector was prepared to trample it out as 
it appeared here and there, before it burst forth into 
a general conflagration. In nearly all parts of Eng- 
land the rising was effectively checked without hardly 
the firing of a shot. In Salisbury there was a some- 
what greater show than elsewhere in behalf of the 
Royalists. Sir Joseph Wagstaff, a gallant, spirited 
Royalist, with a troop of two hundred Cavaliers, rode 
into the city early in the morning, while Chief-Justice 
Rolle and his associate judges, who were in Salisbury 
to hold the county assizes, were still in bed. These 
dignitaries, with the sheriffs, were aroused from their 
slumbers, and dragged into the market-place by. the 
insurgents. 

Wagstaff, with his sword drawn and his troops in 
full array, commanded the sheriff to proclaim Charles 
the King. The sheriff, in his staunch devotion to the 
Commonwealth, refused, and Wentworth was for 
hanging him and the judges on the spot. It would 
have been done had it not been for Penruddock, one 
of the Royalist leaders, a gentleman of fortune and 
landed estate in the neighborhood, who resisted every 
act of violence, as his object, he declared, was to re- 



An Attempt to Proclaim Charles II. King. 243 

store, and not violate, the laws of his country. The 
Royalists were then left to proclaim Charles II. them- 
selves. 

A large crowd had collected, drawn together by 
the excitement in the city, but now seemed disposed 
to join the King's party ; so the Cavaliers, having 
thrown open the doors of the prison, and set free the 
jail-birds, and broken into the stables, and stolen the 
horses, made off for the town of Blandford, where 
they hoped to meet with better luck. Here a town- 
crier was found, and being stationed in the market- 
place, was called upon to go through with the formal- 
ity of proclaiming the King. He seemed willing 
enough to begin, but when the person who was dic- 
tating to him the form of words came to " Charles 
II., King of England," the crier stopped and posi- 
tively refused to utter them, declaring that he would 
die first. 

Cromwell's troops now burst upon them, and Pen- 
ruddock and fifty other Royalists were taken captive, 
while Wagstaff succeeded, with the rest, in making 
off — some for France, and others about the country. 
Penruddock and the more eminent of the Royalists 
paid their heads as a forfeit for their rashness, while 
the less distinguished were shipped off to Barbadoes, 
and sold into slavery to the planters. Conspiracy 
and rebellion were now at an end for the present. 
As often as Cromwell's power was disputed he was 
prepared to sustain it. His enemies gave him fre- 



244 Oliver Cromwell. 

quent occasion to raise his arm of might, but it 
always fell with effect, and each resistance secured 
him an additional triumph. 

For the better control of the internal administra- 
tion of his dominions, the Protector divided England 
into ten districts, over each of which was appointed 
a major-general. With the militia of the county 
kept enrolled in readiness under his command, this 
officer wielded a strong military power, by wdiich he 
could coerce the district over which he presided. 
His duty was to secure the authority of the Pro- 
tector, to whom and his council alone there was any 
appeal from the major-generals, by watching the dis- 
affected, and imprisoning them, if suspected, and 
otherwise administering the police of the country. 
Jeremy Taylor, who was devoted to the Stuarts, was 
one of the first to suffer from the severity of the ma- 
jor-generals, and was imprisoned in Chepstow Castle. 
The great expense incurred by this new arm of gov- 
ernment was defrayed by the imposition of an annual 
tax of ten per cent upon the property of the loyalists 
throughout England. Cromwell, with his military 
satraps, thus chained all the land to his iron rule. 
The Protector was determined that his will should 
be paramount in every department of the govern- 
ment. A London merchant by the name of Cony, an 
old friend and political associate of Cromwell, had 
been fined five hundred pounds for refusing to pay 
certain custom duties. He now refused to pay either 



Triumph of Cony. 245 

the fine or the duties, on the ground that they were 
both illegal. Cromwell had an interview with Cony, 
reminded him of their old intimacy, and told him 
that he was the last man from whom he expected 
such opposition. . The stout merchant refreshed the 
recollection of his old friend with an early statement 
of Cromwell's in the Long Parliament, to the effect 
that the subject who. submits to an illegal impost is 
more the enemy of his country than the tyrant who 
imposes it. The Protector lost his temper, and an- 
grily replied : " I have a will as stubborn as yours is, 
and we will try which of the two will be master." 
The case was submitted to the courts, and Cony's 
lawyers so ably defended him, that Cromwell, fearful 
of a decision adverse to himself, clapped them in 
prison. The pertinacious tradesman then took up 
his own defense, and so stoutly sustained his point 
that the Chief-Justice, Eolle, feared to pronounce 
against Cony, as he was expected to do, and compro- 
mised the matter by postponing the case until next 
term. Further proceedings were stopped by the 
interposition of the angry Protector, and the judges 
were reprimanded for having " suffered the lawyers 
to prate what it did not become the judges to hear." 
Their worships justified themselves by the Magna 

Charta. " Your Magna ," answered the absolute 

Cromwell, coarsely travestying the word, " shall not 
control my actions, which I know are for the safety 



-46 Oliver Cromwell. 

of the Commonwealth. Who made you judges ? 
Have you any authority to sit there but what I gave 
youf 

The great Sir Matthew Hale was one of the judges 
of England during the Protectorate. This upright 
man and conscientious judge had been with dif- 
ficulty prevailed upon to accept office, but was 
finally persuaded by the earnest solicitation of 
Cromwell, who greatly desired to add the lustre of 
so much wisdom and virtue to his proud sovereignty. 
The absolute will of the Protector was often man- 
fully resisted by the impartial judge. On one occa- 
sion Cromwell had interfered with the rights of a 
jury, by specifying the members. Hale rejected the 
list, and ordered another. Cromwell angrily took 
him to account, and said : " You are not fit to be a 
judge." Hale, with calmness, replied : " That is 
very true." The Protector was now diverted from 
quarrels at home, by difficulties abroad. 

As the Protestant champion of Europe, Crom- 
well's active sympathies were appealed to with irre- 
sistible force, by the cry of suffering which came 
from the persecuted Vaudois. In a remote Alpine 
district of Piedmont, there dwelt a hardy race, who 
cultivated the obscure valleys and fed their flocks 
upon the sides of the mountains. Poor in wealth, 
simple in life, strong in virtue, and firm in faith, the 
Vaudois lived obscurely but contentedly. Unlike 



The Vaudois. 247 

all who surrounded them, these isolated people were 
not Roman Catholics. Their origin is unknown, but 
has been attributed to the old Waldenses, whom the 
Vaudois resembled in simplicity of Christian wor- 
ship, and in protesting, long before the time of Luther, 
against the Romish hierarchy. They claimed to re- 
tain in their earliest purity the doctrine and ceremo- 
nials of the primitive Church. When the Reformation 
broke out, the Vaudois being already Protestants, 
were at once admitted into the common brother- 
hood. 

The Roman Catholic Dukes of Savoy were the 
sovereigns of the district inhabited by the Vaudois, 
and from these princes they had alternately suffered 
persecution and obtained toleration, according as 
policy, religious prejudice, or personal benevolence 
prompted. The innocence and retirement of these 
quiet, virtuous people secured them, however, from 
any violent opposition. Heretics though they were, 
they were too insignificant to occupy much of the 
attention of the powerful Romish Church. The Vau- 
dois, however, were suddenly seized with a prose- 
lytizing spirit, under the influence of the religious 
agitation throughout Europe, stirred up by the 
Reformation. They accordingly sent among their 
Catholic countrymen their emissaries, who, with- 
out regard to worldly consequences, warmly insisted 
upon the truth of their own religion, and bitterly de- 



248 Oliver Cromwell. 

nounced the falsehood of that of the others. Their op- 
ponents were heated by these irritating attacks, and 
determined, as they had the power, to exercise it in 
revenge. Persecution began, and became more 
bitter and violent from day to day, until the cruel 
alternative of conversion or banishment was pro- 
claimed as the last hope of the poor Vaudois, and 
the only mercy to be obtained from their pitiless 
persecutors. These wretched people struggled hard 
against such severity, and while their representatives 
were at the court of the Duke of Savoy supplicating 
mercy, the troops of this cruel prince had al- 
ready entered the valleys of the Vaudois, and com- 
menced a brutal attack upon the defenseless people. 
A tragedy was there enacted which has hardly a 
parallel in the bloodiest records of the whole drama 
of history. No age, sex, or condition was secure 
from the brutality of the mercenary soldiers of the 
persecuting Duke. Massacre, hanging, rape, rapine, 
and conflagration were allowed free scope, and 
cruelty swam in blood. When the prisoners were 
brought in to the Savoy commander, they were or- 
dered to be killed without mercy, because the prince 
had declared that he would not have any of their 
religion in all his dominions. The persecuted Vau- 
dois fled to the fastnesses of their mountains, where 
they were hunted out by their cruel pursuers, and 
thrown from the summits of the rocks. Pregnant 



Protects the Vaudois. ■ 249 

women, mothers and their daughters were first vio- 
lated, then destroyed, and the inhuman monsters 
even fed upon their dead bodies. 

Cromwell, in common with all his Protestant sub- 
jects, took the sufferings of the Vaudois deeply to 
his heart, and he resolved to protect them at all 
hazards from their cruel enemies. " The calamities 
of the poor people of the Piedmontese valleys," he 
said, " lay as near, or rather nearer to his heart, than 
if it had concerned the dearest relations he had in the 
world." Cromwell was determined to uphold the 
liberty of conscience, and to resist all tyrannical 
interference with it, for " God," as Cromwell ex- 
pressed it in his dispatch on the occasion, "willed 
that He alone should control the rights of conscience." 
An ambassador was immediately sent to the court of 
the Duke of Savoy, with peremptory orders to secure 
toleration to the Vaudois, in the free exercise of their 
religion. Milton, the poet, whose heart was ever 
ready to respond to the call of freedom, and whose 
genius was ever powerful in the support of its cause, 
was summoned to the aid of the suffering Protestants. 
Six eloquent letters still exist to testify to Milton's 
vigorous efforts in behalf of the persecuted Protest- 
ants of Piedmont. These letters were addressed to 
the Duke of Savoy, the Kings of France, Sweden, 
and Denmark, and to the government of Switzerland. 
An immortal sonnet of the poet has fixed for ever in 
the English heart the agony of the Vaudois. 
11* 



250 * Oliver Cromwell. 

LATE MASSACRE IN PIEDMONT. 

BY MILTON. 

"Avenge, Lord! thy slaughtered saints, whose hones 
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold, 
Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, 

"When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones. 

Forget not ! in thy hook record their groans 
Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold 
Slain by the bloody Piedmontese, that roll'd 

Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans 

The vales redouble to the hills, and they to heaven I" 

Cromwell was about making a treaty with France 
when the massacre of the Vaudois occurred, and he 
immediately declared that he could make no terms 
with the French King, who was in intimate alliance 
with Savoy, until he interposed in behalf of the per- 
secuted Protestants. The French ambassador urged 
in vain that his master was not amenable for the acts 
of the Duke of Savoy, and that difficulties with that 
prince were no reason for delay in treating with 
France. Cromwell was immovable, and the ambas- 
sador was about taking his leave in high dudgeon, 
when news arrived that Savoy, at the request of Louis 
XIV., had granted relief to his persecuted subjects. 
Cromwell was not content with the interposition of 
his might in favor of the suffering people, but gene- 
rously contributed two thousand pounds from his 
private purse towards their relief, in which he was 
seconded by the liberality of the English people, who 



Advocates the Cause of the Jeivs. 251 

added about forty thousand pounds to his noble 
gift. 

While Cromwell was insisting upon religious tole- 
ration in foreign states, he had an occasion of proving 
his sincerity by an appeal in behalf of religious liberty 
in England. Manasseh-ben-Israel, a Jew who was a 
great man of his race, living in Holland, came over to 
London, and presented "A Humble Address to the 
Lord Protector in behalf of the Jewish nation." In 
this was asked the privilege of religious worship, 
freedom of trade, and the abrogation of those illiberal 
laws of England against the Jews, which were a dis- 
grace to the statute-book, as they were cruel to the 
outcast race. Cromwell, whose liberal sentiments 
and policy both influenced him, zealously exerted 
himself in behalf of the Jews. He convened an as- 
sembly of lawyers, merchants, and divines, to con- 
sider the question of toleration, and advocated the 
cause of the Jews in a speech, of which an auditor 
has said "he never heard a man speak so well as 
Cromwell did on this occasion." But the Protector's 
eloquence and liberality of sentiment were equally 
ineffectual against the prejudice of the assembly. 
The lawyers were for the most part favorable ; the 
merchants generally opposed from selfish interests, 
and the theologians obstinately resisting on scriptural 
grounds; so the cause of the Jews was defeated. 
Cromwell, however, was not to be baffled in his be- 
nevolent purpose, and invited the Jews to reside in 



252 Oliver Cromwell. 

London, where they were allowed to build a syna- 
gogue and a cemetery, and to engage in those com- 
mercial pursuits which were their particular vocation. 
The Jews had been banished from England in the 
year 1290, and thus, after three hundred and sixty- 
five years of a policy as unjust as it was injurious, 
Cromwell honored himself and benefited his country 
by a noble act of toleration. 

The Protector's keen gaze and steady hand were 
everywhere, observing and controlling. He had an 
acute perception of character, and showed a wise dis- 
crimination in the choice of his subordinates, but his 
prudence never allowed himself or them to forget 
that they were subordinates. Thus he watched with 
jealous anxiety the conduct of his lieutenants in Ire- 
land and Scotland, and took care that their growing 
influence should not gain the mastery over his own 
power. His restraining hand was always interposed 
at the right moment, and so early, that he could 
guide with such gentleness that he hardly seemed to 
check. His son-in-law Fleetwood's administration 
in Ireland was disposed to be too easy with the un- 
compromising Republicans of the army, such as Lud- 
low and others, with whom Fleetwood's private sen- 
timents were suspected to be in accord. Cromwell 
accordingly substituted his spirited son Henry, who 
had much of his father's resolute will and capacity 
for government, and all his confidence — of whom the 
Protector himself said, " He is a governor from 



Stimulates his Followers. 253 

whom I myself might learn" — in the place of Fleet- 
wood, who was invited home on the plea of his serv- 
ices being required in the Council. 

Monk in Scotland was using too gentle a hand 
with the Royalists there, who were paying him great 
court, while Charles II., presuming upon his favora- 
ble disposition, had addressed him a letter, in which 
he spojke of their mutual affection. Monk was faith- 
ful enough to the Protector to send him the epistle, 
although he concealed the fact that he was the person 
to whom it had been written. The Protector knew 
his man, and felt secure of Monk's interested fidelity 
as long as his cause was in the ascendancy. Crom- 
well contented himself with writing to Monk in a 
strain of sarcastic humor. " There be that tell me," 
said he, "that there is a certain cunning fellow in 
Scotland, called George Monk, who is said to lie in 
wait there to introduce Charles Stuart. I pray use 
your diligence to apprehend and send him up to me." 

On the return to London of Fleetwood, Ludlow 
came with him ; and as this uncompromising Repub- 
lican still held out against the Government, the Pro- 
tector summoned him to an audience. Cromwell 
justified his Protectorate, Ludlow argued against it, 
and the two parted equally unconvinced. The Pro- 
tector exercised great clemency towards his antago- 
nist, and allowed him his liberty, of which he availed 
himself by retiring to the country. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE large English fleet, the destination of which 
had been kept a profound secret, and which 
had sailed several months before with sealed orders, 
had gone, as was now discovered, to invade the 
Spanish "West-Indies. Cromwell had kept his own 
counsel in regard to his purpose, which was even 
concealed from the Parliament which had placed the 
fleet at the disposal of the Protector, contenting 
itself with the general statement, that the object was 
to establish the supremacy of England in every sea. 
When the ships were about to sail, a mob of women, 
sailors' wives and sweethearts, beset Cromwell in 
the street, hallooing after him, and demanding where 
their husbands and lovers were to be sent. The 
Protector good-naturedly answered, laughing : "The 
ambassadors of France and Spain would each of 
them willingly give a million to know that." 

During the active competition between France 
and Spain, for his favor, the Protector had from the 
beginning inclined towards the former, and had ex- 
pressly fitted out and dispatched his fleet to invade 
the possessions of the latter in America, thus secretly 



Invades the Spanish Colonies. 255 

making war upon a nation, which Cromwell's strong 
Protestant sentiments caused him to hate with a 
bitter hatred. France was tolerant in comparison 
with the bigoted Spain. In the former country 
there were Protestants who were allowed the free 
exercise of their particular opinions ; in the latter, 
no one of the reformed religion was permitted, even 
if he were an Englishman, to enjoy the least religious 
liberty. Cromwell, accordingly, fortifying himself 
with an alliance with France, determined to punish, 
with all his might, the inveterate bigotry of the 
Spanish nation. The fleet, commanded by Penn and 
Venables, was ordered to invade the West-Indies and 
Spanish Main, and there to raise the standard of 
England. Admiral Blake, in the mean time, was 
sent with a fleet to cruise on the coast of Spain, and 
to cut off all communication between that country 
and her colonies. 

The expedition to America turned out a sad fail- 
ure. The capture of St. Domingo was attempted 
three times in vain, the English having been repelled 
with fearful loss, partly from the fierce resistance of 
the Spaniards, but mostly in consequence of the 
more fatal effects of the climate. Jamaica, at that 
time of but little importance, was then invaded, and 
with success, and the standard of England raised 
upon that island, where, from that day to this, it has 
continued unfurled. The admirals were so com- 
pletely disheartened, and their forces so far reduced 



256 Oliver Cromwell 

in numbers and discouraged in spirit, that all hopes 
of further conquest were abandoned, and Penn and 
Venables returned to England. The Protector 
clapped them into the Tower, as soon as they made 
their appearance, and was unable to conceal his dis- 
appointment at the meagre result of his brilliant 
expectations in the West. Cromwell suffered poig- 
nantly, and whenever he received his dispatches 
from the fleet, he would shut himself up alone to 
read them in his solitude, and would hardly open 
his mouth upon the subject with a living soul. He 
became ill in consequence, so deeply did he take the 
failure to heart, and his physician reported to the 
French ambassador, that the rumor .-that Cromwell 
was afflicted with the stone was not true, but that he 
had the bilious colic, which occasionally flew to the 
brain, and that grief often persecuted him worse 
than his disease, as his mind had not yet got accus- 
tomed to disgrace. 

Blake, although weak in body from the effects of 
his old wound in the Dutch war, was the same " Sea 
King " in spirit, and more than equalled the proud 
expectations of Cromwell. The brave admiral 
coasted along the shores of Spain and Portugal, 
where his appearance was everywhere the signal for 
the most obsequious attentions, and the flags in every 
port bowed reverently to his power. He sailed 
thence to the Mediterranean, and first came to an- 
chor off Leghorn as he had some scores to settle with 



Blake's Vigor. 257 

the Grand Duke of Tuscany. He demanded from 
that prince immediate indemnity for the merchant 
vessels which had been captured by Prince Rupert 
and sold in the ports of Tuscany, and permission for 
the English Protestants to have a church at Florence. 
The Grand Duke was alarmed, and all his subjects 
shared in the fright, which extended to the Pope of 
Borne, and the inhabitants of the sacred city. The 
money was made up, between the Duke and the 
Pope, and paid over to Blake, who did not insist 
upon the Protestant church at Florence. 

Blake pushed on from Leghorn to the coast of 
Africa, where he was resolved to punish the Barba- 
rians for their piratical attacks upon English vessels, 
and to wrench from their hands the captives which 
they held in slavery. Tunis was first made an ex- 
ample of, which was so effective that every other 
ill-doer on the coast came to terms, without the 
firing of a shot. When Blake arrived off Tunis, he 
sent a messenger to the Dey with his demands, and 
requested permission to take on board a supply of 
water for his ships. The Dey would grant nothing, 
not even the water. " Tell the Dey," said Blake, 
" that God has given the benefit of water to all his 
creatures ; and for men to deny it to each other, is 
equally insolent and wicked." The Dey pointed to 
his fortresses, and told the British officers that they 
might do their worst, for he was not to be frightened 
by their great fleet. 



258 Oliver Cromwell. 

The English admiral now weighed anchor, and 
set sail for a neighboring port, in order to collect 
his ships and take in supplies. The Dey, when he 
observed the English making off, congratulated him- 
self on his easy victory, as he supposed he had 
frightened Blake by his bluster. He was, however, 
mistaken, as he found to his cost, a few days after, 
when the British fleet again made its appearance. 
Blake took up his position close under the Tunisian 
fortresses, and after having beat all hands to prayer, 
in conformity with the religious feeling of the day, 
he commenced the action by a brisk cannonade. 
The wind blew right upon the shore, enveloping the 
fortresses in clouds of smoke which blinded their 
fire, while the English, with a clear view and steady 
aim, succeeded in making every shot tell with effect. 
Blake was, however, impatient of the distance be- 
tween him and his enemy, and resolved to come 
to close quarters. He accordingly ordered John 
Stoakes, the captain of his flag-ship, the St. George, 
to take command of his boats, and row alongside 
some enormous corsairs, which were moored under 
the guns of the fortresses, and with lighted brands 
and torches, set fire to them. Stoakes executed the 
order with great skill and undaunted courage ; push- 
ing on in spite of an unceasing fire from the sharp- 
shooters, he came alongside the Tunisian vessels, and 
in a moment they were wrapped in flames. This 
settled the engagement ; the fortresses ceased their 



Blake's Successes. 259 

fire, and the Dey rapidly consented to all demands. 
Blake had orders from Cromwell " to seize, surprise, 
sink, and destroy all ships and vessels belonging to the 
kingdom of Tunis, in case of refusal of right," and 
he effectually obeyed them. There was no more to 
be done on the coast of Africa, and the admiral, 
having cruised for a short time about the Mediter- 
ranean, teaching a lesson here, and giving a warning 
there, and establishing a wholesome reverence for 
the English flag everywhere, sailed for the coast of 
Spain, to carry out the main object of his expedition, 
which was to cripple and destroy the Spanish navy, 
when war, upon which Cromwell had long resolved, 
should be formally declared between England and 
Spain. 

Before the commencement of actual hostilities, an 
incident occurred which reflects great honor upon 
Blake's character, and shows him not only the invin- 
cible maintainer of the right, but the just avenger of 
the wrong. While off Malaga, in Spain, some of 
Blake's crew went ashore, when, a procession of the 
host happening to pass, the sailors set up a shout of 
contemptuous laughter at what appeared to their 
Puritan matter-of-fact judgments, ridiculous mum- 
mery, although to the pious Catholic it was an act 
of the most reverential worship. A priest became 
enraged at this mockery of the English, and called 
upon the faithful to revenge their insulted religion. 
A violent tumult ensued, in the course of which the 



260 Oliver Cromwell. 

sailors were driven back to their boats, and forced 
to take refuge on board of their ship. 

Blake, learning from his crew their account of the 
affair, sent to the governor, demanding that the 
priest should be delivered to him. The governor 
replied that he had no authority over the ecclesias- 
tics. Blake replied, that he did not care who had 
the authority, but if the priest were not aboard of 
his ship in three hours, he would burn the city of 
Malaga to the ground. The priest arrived true to 
the time. 

Blake now called all hands on deck, and put the 
sailors who had been concerned in the disturbance, 
face to face with the Spanish priest, and called upon 
each, for their statement of the affair. Blake, after 
due investigation, was persuaded that his crew had 
been at fault, and accordingly rebuked them for 
their gross insolence towards the Spaniards. He 
told the priest that the men should have been 
severely punished, as they were not permitted to 
affront the religion of any people, had complaint 
been made to the admiral in the first instance. 
" But,"' added Blake, " I feel extreme displeasure at 
your having taken the law into your own hands; 
and I would have you and all the world know, that 
an Englishman is not to be judged and punished 
except by Englishmen." The priest was then, in the 
most courteous manner, put ashore again. 

On the 28th of November, 1655, the treaty with 



War with Spain. 261 

France, and the declaration of war against Spain, 
were formally proclaimed in the streets of London by 
the herald, at the sound of the trumpet. With this 
war against a great power, involving the country in 
an immense expenditure, together with other com- 
plications of affairs, foreign and domestic, the Pro- 
tector resolved upon summoning a Parliament to 
share with him the responsibility of government. 
Cromwell knew the English temper so well, that, 
although he determined to rule absolutely, he did 
not venture to despise the form of a popular repre- 
sentation. Accordingly, a writ was issued for a new 
Parliament. The election revived all the activity 
of Cromwell's opponents. Sir Harry Vane, the reso- 
lute Republican, appeared in the field, as a pamphlet- 
eer and as a candidate for Parliament. His pam- 
phlet, "A Healing Question," was eagerly read, but 
he lost his election. Many of the most determined 
Republicans were more successful, and a hundred 
inveterate enemies of the Government might be 
counted in the House. Cromwell had used all the 
efforts his power could control, in carrying the day, 
and succeeded in securing a majority; but his antag- 
onists came out of the struggle, though beaten, not 
crushed. The Protector now interposed his arbi- 
trary power, and did by might what he failed to do 
by right. 

While Vane was in the quiet enjoyment of the 
delights of his favorite country retreat at Bel lean, in 



262 Oliver Cromwell. 

Lincolnshire, he received a peremptory summons to 
appear before the Council in London. The wording 
of the order was studiously abrupt and devoid of the 
usual conventional expressions of courtesy with 
which it was customary to address a person of the 
distinction of Vane. " You are to attend," was the 
emphatic command, without the preliminary polite- 
ness of even a " Sir." Vane was charged, on appear- 
ing before Cromwell, with having written the pam- 
phlet, which he acknowledged, and was called upon 
to pledge himself not to do any thing to the preju- 
dice of the existing Government, which he refused. 
Vane was then imprisoned in Carrisbrook Castle, in 
the Isle of Wight. Harrison and Eich, of whom 
the same pledge having been demanded, and which 
they would not give, were also imprisoned, the for- 
mer in Pendennis Castle, in Cornwall, and the latter 
at Windsor. Cromwell, having thus got rid of this 
pressure from without, prepared to meet his Parlia- 
ment, the opposing members of which he hoped 
would now be quieted by the awe with which his 
decided blow against the leaders had struck the Re- 
publican ranks. 

The new Parliament met on Wednesday, 17th of 
September, 1656, and was opened by a long speech 
of the Protector. The war with Spain was the first 
topic, the spirited waging of which Cromwell urged, 
and demanded a vote of the necessary supplies for 
its conduct. "The Spaniard," said he, "is your 



His Speech to the Parliament. 263 

enemy naturally and providentially, by reason of 
that enmity that is in him against whatsoever is of 
God. * * * We desired but such liberty for our 
traders as that they might keep their Bibles in their 
pockets, * * * but there is no liberty of con- 
science to be had from the Spaniard." 

The Protector dwelt at length upon the institution 
of the major-generals, and did his utmost to justify 
that tyrannical and unpopular measure. Cromwell 
did not hesitate to specify his own personal danger 
as a reason for the creation of so arbitrary an instru- 
ment of power. " It was intended first," said he, 
"to assassinate my person. ** * * An officer was 
engaged to seize me in my bed. * * * And other 
foolish designs there were, as to get into a room to 
get gunpowder laid in it to blow me up where I 
lay." The Protector was bolder than ever in assert- 
ing himself the personal unity of the state. The 
speech being concluded, the Parliament withdrew 
from the Painted Chamber to the House. 

Cromwell, aware that he had some determined 
opponents among the members, whom neither 
threats could intimidate nor favors win over, resolved, 
by a bold and tyrannical act of power, to sift the 
Parliament of all his enemies. He accordingly issued 
certificates of membership to his friends alone, who 
amounted to about three hundred out of the whole 
number of four hundred. On the members present- 
ing themselves at the door of the House, they were 



264 Oliver Cromwell. 

met by a file of Cromwell's soldiers, who demanded 
the certificates. Those who had them passed in ; 
those who had them not were refused admission. 
The excluded members were indignant at this arbi- 
trary act, and meeting together, drew up a protest, 
and submitted it to the Parliament, which imme- 
diately summoned the clerk to the bar, and demand- 
ed the cause of the exclusion. This officer acknow- 
ledged at once that his highness the Protector had 
given orders that certain persons not approved 
should not be permitted to enter the House. This 
bold step and still bolder acknowledgment of it were 
tamely acquiesced in after a mild show of resistance 
to the extent of a motion to adjourn, which was de- 
feated by a large majority. 

The glittering glory of a great naval victory just 
won served to dazzle the e} r es of the English people, 
and blind them to the tyrannical encroachments of 
Cromwell. Montague, afterward the Earl of Sand- 
wich, a devoted adherent of the Protector, one of the 
men who had grown to greatness under the eye and 
influence of Cromwell, was joined in command with 
Blake, who had requested an associate. The two ad- 
mirals, on the declaration of war, cruised off the coast 
of Spain with the view of intercepting the rich gal- 
leons from South-America. In spite, however, of 
their watchfulness, the Spanish vessels succeeded in 
making the port of Cadiz, much to the disappoint- 
ment of the English, though they had the consolation 



Engagement at Cadiz. 265 

of learning that the galleons had not turned out so 
richly laden as was expected. Blake and Montague 
now sailed with the main part of the fleet to the coast 
of Portugal for supplies, leaving only six frigates,' un- 
der the command of Captain Stayner, to blockade 
Cadiz. 

Stayner, in the mean time, during the absence of 
his superiors in command, had the good luck to fall 
in with a Spanish fleet. The Spaniards had four 
ships of war and a convoy of four large merchant- 
men loaded with pieces of eight, ingots of silver and 
gold, and precious merchandise. The Spanish ships 
had sailed from Havana, and having fallen in, as they 
neared the coasts of Eutope, with a Portuguese trader, 
which they had captured, they learned the pleasing 
intelligence that the English had been set upon by a 
Spanish fleet, beaten, and forced to abandon the block- 
ade of Cadiz. This false but encouraging news gave 
great confidence to the Spaniards, and they steered 
boldly for the port of Cadiz. They had reached, dur- 
ing the night, within sight of the lights of the town. 
As morning broke, much to their surprise, they found 
Stayner, with his six frigates, in the harbor, to meet 
them and oppose their entrance. The English set 
upon the enemy at once, and the engagement took 
place within full view of the inhabitants of Cadiz, who 
gathered upon the roofs of the houses, watching with 
anxious expectation the progress of the fight. One 
of the Spanish ships had the Marquis of Vaydes on 
12 



266 Oliver Cromwell. 

board, with his wife and seven children, among whom 
were a daughter, betrothed to a son of one of the great 
dukes of Medina Celi, and an infant child' only a year 
olds* The Marquis had been for nine years viceroy 
of Peru, and after having accumulated an immense 
fortune during his administration, was on his return, 
taking his wealth with him to enjoy it in retirement 
in Spain. The Marquis' vessel was early engaged in 
the conflict, and struggled with desperate bravery 
against the successful English. One hundred and ten 
men had already sacrificed their lives when the ship 
took fire, and the wife and eldest daughter, together 
with one of the sons of the Marquis, became victims 
of the catastrophe. The father could readily have 
escaped, but threw himself, in his despair, into the 
flames, and was destroyed with the burning ship, 
where his beloved ones had already met their fate. 

Stayner gained a complete victory, and having 
rifled the Spanish fleet of its large treasure, burned 
or sunk some of the ships, and captured others. The 
English arrived at Portsmouth, with about five mil- 
lions of dollars, which were unshipped, loaded into 
thirty-eight wagons, and borne on to London with a 
brilliant escort of military guards. As they passed 
through the towns and villages on the road to the 
capital, the people met them with enthusiastic wel- 
come and loud shouts of acclamation. On their ar- 
rival in London, the populace were in a state of great 
excitement and delight ; nor did the Government fail 



Waller's Cromwellian Ode. 267 

to do its utmost, by parade and exaggeiacion, to add 
to the people's enthusiasm. The wagons, after 
making a long detour through the principal, streets 
of London, stopped at the Tower, where the treasure 
was unloaded and transferred to the mint, there to 
be coined into English money with the impress of 
the great Cromwell. Stayner, the victor, was knight- 
ed, and Admiral Montague, who had come home with 
the prizes, received with high honoKS by Cromwell, 
and overwhelmed with compliments by Parliament. 
Waller, the poet, sung the triumphant ode on the oc- 
casion : 

"Let the brave generals divide that bough — 
Our great Protector hath such wreaths enow; 
His conquering head has no more room for bays. 
Then let it be as the glad nation prays ; 
Let the rich ore forthwith be melted down, 
And the state fixed by making him a crown ; 
"With ermine clad and purple, let him hold 
A royal sceptre, made of Spanish gold." 

Waller's line, "And the state fixed by making 
him a crown," indicates the direction of the thought 
then uppermost in the minds of all. The settlement 
of England on a permanent basis of government, 
with Cromwell as king, was the great question which 
was now agitating the whole Commonwealth. The 
sifted Parliament was in complete subjection to their 
master, the Protector, and were prepared to obey his 
will in all things, and follow wherever he dared to 



268 Oliver Cromwell. 

lead. Among their earliest acts was one for re- 
nouncing " the pretended title of Charles Stuart and 
his descendants to the- crown of England." Another 
was "for the security of his highness the Lord Pro- 
tector's person, and continuance of the nation in peace 
and safety." Cromwell's family came in for a share 
also of the Parliament's solicitous care. Six thou- 
sand acres of rich land, the manor house, parks, and 
town of Portumina in Ireland, were bestowed upon 
the Protector's son Henry, the Irish lord-lieutenant. 
In and out of Parliament the bias seemed towards 
draping Cromwell with the regal purple, and round- 
ing his temples with the crown. He had all but the 
insignia of royalty, and those were at his service if 
his vanity should catch at them. 

The Royal party began to despair altogether of 
the chances of Charles II. The afflatus of the " divine 
right" of their king was fast collapsing under the iron 
grasp of Cromwell, and even Royalists were disposed 
to believe that hereditary monarchy could only sur- 
vive by an infusion of the vigorous breath of the 
strong-armed man of the people. Lord Broghill, 
who was an adherent of the Protector, yet disposed 
in favor of the legitimate succession, met Cromwell 
one day, who asked him the news. His lordship an- 
swered that it was reported that the King was to be 
restored, and to be married to Cromwell's daughter ; 
and Broghill ventured to add that he thought it an 
excellent expedient. The Protector, pausing a while, 



Cromwell for King. 269 

with a thoughtful air, at last replied calmly, without 
the least mark of anger : " The King can never for- 
give his father's blood." Broghill then remarked 
that he (Cromwell) was, among many, amenable for 
that, but he would have the sole credit of the restora- 
tion. Cromwell then quickly answered : " He is so 
damnably debauched, he would undo us all." 

The idea of making Cromwell kraff was not an un- 
popular one. Petitions were presented, requesting 
him to assume the title. Some of his strongest par- 
tisans in the state and in the army, said without re- 
serve : " We must have a king, and will have a king, 
and the Lord Protector dares not refuse it." Crom- 
well himself, no doubt, pondered seriously, as a pos- 
sible event, his assuming the crown, but acted with 
great wariness, desiring that royalty should appear 
rather thrust upon him against his will, than eagerly 
sought after by his own ambition. Parliament had 
the subject, it was believed, under secret considera- 
tion, but did not yet venture to present the question 
openly for debate. 

There was no hope on the part of the enemies of 
Cromwell, of overthrowing him by fair means, so 
they prepared to resort to foul. The Protector's 
power was so firmly based that nothing but death 
could destroy it, and the Royalists determined to 
effect by assassination what their impatience for 
ascendancy would not allow them to wait for in the 
due course of nature. Now was the time, too, to 



270 Oliver Cromwell. 

strike the blow, when only a single life interposed 
between them and sovereignty. If Cromwell should 
be crowned king, his family would be constitution- 
ally established in the order of succession, and -sup- 
ply claimant after claimant to struggle with the Stu- 
arts for the crown. A Colonel Sexby, an ardent, 
active man, who had been once in favor with the 
Protector to the extent of being his occasional bed- 
fellow — a not unusual mode with Cromwell of signi- 
fying his friendliness with his intimates — was now 
the most desperate plotter against him. Sexby was 
so bent upon the destruction of the Protector, that he 
cared not with whom he leagued, provided they 
shared with him in common enmity to the object of 
his passionate hatred. Although an ultra Republican, 
this man readily conspired with the most inveterate 
Royalists, and laid a plan in conjunction with them 
and the Spanish Government, which was at war with 
England, and had embraced the cause of Charles II., 
to destroy the life of Cromwell. A confederate of 
the name of Sindercombe was engaged in this mur- 
derous conspiracy, and was left in London to super- 
intend the dark design, while Sexby proceeded to the 
Continent to confer with the Royalists and the Span- 
ish Government. The plot against the Protector's 
life had been so near consummation that the assas- 
sins had been several times on the road, with the pur- 
pose of killing Cromwell on his way to Hampton 
Court. A house had been hired, from the window 



A Conspirator. 271 

of which he was to be shot, and gunpowder had been 
laid to blow up the chapel at Whitehall. 

The ever- watchful Secretary Thurlow, in the mean 
tim*e, ferreted out the conspiracy, and arrested Sinder- 
combe, who was imprisoned in the Tower, and hav- 
ing been tried, was found guilty, and sentenced to be 
executed. On the evening preceding the appointed 
clay for his execution, his sister having supplied him 
with the deadly drug, he poisoned himself. The poor 
wretch's last words, as he retired for the night, were : 
" Well, this is the last time I shall go to bed." The 
plot, of course, felled, and only served to strengthen 
the position of Cromwell, while it overwhelmed in 
dishonor all concerned in the odious attempt against 
his life. Sexby, some months after, ventured to re- 
turn to England, and was caught on board of a mer- 
chantman in the harbor, about to sail for Flanders, 
disguised in the coarse habit of a countryman, with 
his face hid in a thick, overgrown beard. He was ar- 
rested and imprisoned, and while in the Tower be- 
came insane, and miserably died soon after, a mad- 
man. 

Sexby was a man of capacity and disinterested 
views, but his ardent temperament, worked upon by 
religious fanaticism and political intrigue, became so 
excited, that his conscience was completely over- 
whelmed in the tumult of his passions. He was blind 
to all else but his purpose of overthrowing Crom- 
well, and the wickedness of the means he used to 



272 Oliver Cromwell. 

effect it was unheeded. A pamphlet, "Killing no 
murder," which was as able as it was malignant, is 
supposed to have been written by Sexby. It has 
little interest now, but as a literary curiosity, and for 
presenting, in the dedication to Cromwell, one of the 
most skillful pieces of ironical writing in the English 
language. It is thus : " To your highness justly be- 
longs the honor of dying for the people ; and it can 
not choose but be an unspeakable consolation to you 
in the last moments of your life, to consider with 
how much benefit to the world you are likely to 
leave it. It is then only, my lord, the titles you now 
usurp will be truly yours : you will then be indeed 
the deliverer of your country, and free it from a 
bondage little inferior to that from which Moses de- 
livered his. This we hope from your highness's 
happy expiration, who are the true father of your 
country ; for while you live, we can call nothing ours, 
and it is from your death that we hope for our 
inheritances." 

Cromwell's enemies might rage and storm ; they 
could dash their heads against the rock of his 
strength — the result was their own ruin, and an ex- 
posure of their own weakness; while every blow, 
by its impotence displayed, and by its noise made 
manifest, the unyielding power which was vainly 
attempted to be overthrown. The whole nation 
proudly submitted to the genius of Cromwell, for 
subjection to him was mastery over the world. In 



The Major- Generals. 273 

the unity of his great English heart was concen- 
trated the patriotism of all England. The Protector, 
self-reliant in his greatness, allowed no division of 
sovereignty, and ruled absolutely, though he govern- 
ed by constitutional formalities. The Parliament 
was entirely under his control, and was one of those 
convenient slaves who do all their master's dirty 
work, and vicariously suffer for their master's errors. 
If a doubtful experiment was to be tried, it was first 
attempted in vili corpore of the Parliament, and if a 
failure, the disgrace accrued to that body — if a suc- 
cess, the honor redounded to the glory of the Pro- 
tector. 

The bill for continuing the major-generals, which 
was brought forward in Parliament by Cromwell's 
brother-in-law, Desbrough, was one of the first ex- 
periments tried by the cunning manipulation of the 
Protector. The institution of the major-generals 
had been of Cromwell's own creation, and it had 
proved of great service in strengthening and con- 
firming his power, and he believed it to be his 
policy still to wield this arm of his government. 
The bill, accordingly, was introduced with his sanc- 
tion, but in its progress through the House he had 
an opportunity of testing its popularity, and, his 
views changing, he resolved upon its defeat. Al- 
though his brother-in-law had introduced the measure, 
and his Secretary, Thurlow, warmly advocated it, 
no sooner" Hid the debate begin when Cromwell's 
12* 



274 Oliver Cromwell, 

son-in-law, Clay pole, opened the discussion by a fierce 
attack upon the bill. The pliant lawyers of the 
House adjusted their wigs, smoothed their robes, 
and successively arose, on the same side with Clay- 
pole, and brought forward from their stores of learn- 
ing arguments as irrefragable, against the institution 
of the major-generals, as those they had formerly 
urged in its favor. The major-generals, many of 
whom were members of the House, sprung from 
their seats, with their hands clenched upon their 
sword-hilts, and indignantly denounced the opposi- 
tion, attacked the Cavaliers, and threatened ven- 
geance. Young Harry Cromwell, a cousin of the 
Protector, and a son of the Eoyalist, Sir Oliver, was 
a member of the House, and, upon the Royalists 
being attacked, rose and retorted upon the major- 
generals. A great excitement ensued, but quiet 
was soon restored. On the rising of the House 
some of the major-generals threatened young Crom- 
well with his uncle's displeasure. Harry, without 
more ado, hurried to the presence of the Protector, 
and having stated what he had done, was rebuked, 
half seriously and half jocosely, for his rashness, and 
dismissed with a very significant mark of approval, 
for his uncle pulled off a rich scarlet cloak which he 
wore and a pair of gloves, and bestowed them upon 
his nephew. Young Harry Cromwell strutted about 
next clay in the House, with these tokens of his 
uncle's favor, showing a very evident sense of his 



Persecution of Nay lor. 275 

triumph. The bill for continuing the major-generals 
was defeated, and a large share of popularity ac- 
crued to the Protector, for he received all the credit 
for the abolition of this odious institution, while 
Parliament incurred the blame for having entertain- 
ed the intention of continuing it. 

Again, Cromwell carefully avoided being a party 
to the severe parliamentary enactments against the 
rabid sectaries, who were keeping the country in a 
state of continued agitation, and threatening the au- 
thority of the state. In fact, the Protector appeared 
to interpose in their behalf, and, although anxious to 
repress them, cunningly put himself forward as their 
quasi defender. The severe judgment against Nay- 
lor, a wild fanatic, by which he was condemned to 
stand in the pillory for two hours, be whipped 
through the streets of London, have his tongue 
bored with a hot iron, to be branded with the letter 
" B" on his forehead to mark him as a blasphemer, 
and to be finally incarcerated in a prison, where 
solitude was to alternate with hard labor, gave 
Cromwell an opportunity of seeming to interpose 
in behalf of humanity and a numerous body of the 
people. It had be^n decided by the House that the 
bill for the punishment of Naylor should be con- 
sidered on the authority of Parliament alone, with- 
out the assent of the Protector. Cromwell eagerly 
availed himself of this apparent interference with 
his prerogative, and addressed a letter to the Speaker, 



276 Oliver Cromwell. 

in which he acknowledged his abhorrence of such 
practices as those of Naylor, and asked for the 
reasons of the House in proceeding on their sole 
authority. 

Naylor was one of the sect of Quakers who had 
sprung up under the apostleship of George Fox, 
amid the general agitation of religious opinion, 
during the civil war. Fox, the founder of the 
Quakers, was an illiterate man, but possessed of 
considerable natural capacity, and endowed with a 
fervent spirit, and a ready tongue. lie soon gather- 
ed about him a large flock of converts, some 
of whom, becoming impatient of his control, 
branched off into a variety of sects, who were as 
discordant in their opinions as each was tenacious of 
its own, and noisy and violent in the assertion of 
them. Fox himself inaugurated the peaceful mil- 
lenium of the Quakers with a contentious spirit, and 
a pugnacious rudeness that were as opposed to his 
professions as they were provoking to all who differ- 
ed from him. The ordinary habits of life, the lan- 
guage, the dress, the conventional courtesies, and 
many of the social obligations, were vigorously 
resisted. Fox and his followers kept on their hats 
when every one else uncovered; in conversation 
they used the second person singular, while other 
Englishmen used the second person plural ; they wore 
drab, while the fashion was for colors ; they insisted 
on peace while all the world was at war ; and in 



An Intrusive Quaker. 277 

other respects opposed the conventional habits and 
the long-established opinions of the country. Fox, 
at the outset of his career, violently interfered with 
those from whom he differed. He bearded the judges 
in the court, insulted their dignity, and disturbed their 
functions by his offensive and noisy interruptions. 
He stalked with his hat on into the sanctuary, and, 
while the preacher was holding forth, overwhelmed 
him with noisy declamation, crying out : " Come 
down, thou deceiver !" and startled the congregation 
by his abrupt appearance, and his interference with 
their worship. He entered the taverns, and, while the 
wayfarer was taking his ease in his inn or enjoying 
his bottle, in the convivial company of the Boniface, 
Fox rudely disturbed the comfort by his presence, and 
threw cold water upon the hearty enjoyment of the 
guest and his landlord, by the untimely reminder 
that they were a pair of sinners. The merriment 
of the wakes and fairs was equally offensive to the 
Quaker apostle, and the English rustic and his bloom- 
ing sweetheart were told they were profligates, while 
they were innocently opening their eyes to the 
grimaces of a merry-andrew, or their mouths to the 
harmless reception of gingerbread. 

Fox having on one occasion molested a congrega- 
tion during worship, was arrested and thrown into 
prison. On another he was severely stoned, and 
subsequently cooled of the heat of the attack by 
being aired in the pillory. At last this peace-loving 



278 Oliver Cromwell 

Quaker became such a disturber of the public tran- 
quillity, that he was arrested in a provincial town 
and sent up to London, to be dealt with by the Pro- 
tector himself. Fox was accordingly brought before 
Cromwell, and spoke so well for himself, and with 
such spiritual unction, that the Protector seemed to 
be quite won over, and, pressing Fox's hand as he 
was about to depart, said to him : " Come again to 
my house : y if thou and I were together but one hour 
in every day we should be nearer to each other." 
Then, after pledging the Quaker to his government, 
by a written promise that he would not oppose it, 
the politic Cromwell dismissed him with the con- 
solatory declaration that he wished Fox no more ill 
than he did to his own soul. This apostle had many 
influential disciples, and was a man to be conciliated 
into friendship, and not irritated into enmity. Many 
of the most prominent men of the day looked favor- 
ably upon his doctrines. Bradshaw and one of the 
judges protected Fox by their influence, while Penn, 
the son of the admiral, and the subsequent dis- 
tinguished colonist of Pennsylvania, openly embraced 
Quakerism. 

Fox behaved himself more orderly after his inter- 
view with Cromwell, but many of his followers 
showed less discretion, and, finding that the pru- 
dence of their leader was proof to their reckless 
fanaticism, they parted company with him and set 
up on their own account. Thus sprung up the 



Strange Sectaries. 279 

Robinsites, the Reevesites, the Muggletonians, Taw- 
neyites, and the followers of Naylor. These men 
burst out into the wildest and maddest fanaticism. 
Robins declared he was God Almighty, and he had 
followers to believe him, and then he as emphatically 
asserted he was Adam, raised from the dead, and 
again he had followers whose faith in him was un- 
shaken. Muggleton and Reeves set up as the two 
witnesses of the Revelations, clothed in sackcloth ; 
their especial vocation was to pronounce damnation 
upon all who did not believe in them. They were 
particularly strong in their denunciation of Robins 
and his friend Tawney, who had the rod of Aaron 
bestowed upon him by his omnipotent master. 
Tawney was further distinguished for having burned 
his Bible, because it was not the word of God, and 
for having planted himself with a drawn sword at 
the entrance to Parliament, and threatened, as he 
was inspired by God for the purpose, to kill every 
member in it. He succeeded in wounding several, but 
was finally secured. Naylor, however, whose cruel 
punishment we have already recorded, was the 
craziest of all. He gave himself out to be " the 
Everlasting Son, the Prince of Peace, the Fairest 
among ten thousand," and the Second Person in the 
Trinity ! He was always preceded in public by a 
female of the name of Dorcas Erbery, who strewed 
flowers in his path and cried out : " Holy, holy, holy, 
Lord God of Israel, Hosanna in the highest." Such 



280 Oliver Cromwell. 

disgusting blasphemy is too wicked to be believed 
as originating in the heart of a rational being, and 
can only be attributed to insanity produced by re- 
ligious enthusiasm fermenting in weak brains. The 
Parliament was right in checking the madness of 
these sectaries, by punishing Nay lor, but the severity 
of the punishment was equally unnecessary and cruel, 
for the object of it could hardly be considered a 
responsible being. 



CHAPTER XI. 

A COLONEL, William Jephson, a hearty, straight- 
forward soldier, had, in the course of a Parlia- 
mentary debate, frankly declared that Cromwell 
should be made king. As, however, this was merely 
an expression of individual opinion from a not very 
influential member, and was not brought forward in 
the shape of a distinct legislative proposition, it was 
allowed to pass almost unheeded on the part of the 
House. This was the first direct allusion in Parlia- 
ment to the "kingship," to which Cromwell's thoughts 
were now directed. The Protector, however, who 
was all alive to the absorbing subject, had caught 
with a greedy ear at Jephson's declaration, and upon 
that officer dining a few days after at the palace of 
Whitehall, Cromwell gently took him to account, 
saying, " He wondered what he could mean by such a 
proposition." The Colonel replied : " That whilst he 
had the honor of sitting in Parliament, he must de- 
sire the liberty to discharge his conscience, though his 
opinion should happen to displease." Cromwell then 



282 Oliver Cromwell. 

familiarly tapping him on the shoulder, said : " Get 
thee gone for a mad fellow, as thou art." 

Upon the detection of the plot against the life of 
the Protector, for which Sindercombe had been ar- 
rested, Parliament passed a vote of congratulation to 
Cromwell on his escape, and at the same time a 
hope was expressed that provision would be made 
for the better protection of his person. Ashe, the 
member for Somersetshire, a devoted adherent of 
Cromwell, eagerly seized the occasion to say that he 
would add something more — that the Protector 
would be pleased to take upon him the government 
according to the ancient constitution. That would 
put an end to these plots, and fix the liberties of 
England and the safety of the chief-magistrate upon 
an old and sure foundation. The House was startled 
by this bold proposition, and some members rose in 
great excitement, and rebuked Ashe for his daring, 
while others applauded his suggestion. Cromwell 
now was made aware of the temper of the House, and 
felt so far encouraged as to venture upon a bolder 
experiment, and have the question of his being made 
king brought directly before Parliament. 

On Monday, the 23d February, 1657, Sir Christo- 
pher Pack, a city dignitary, a flourishing dealer in 
cloth, who had passed through all the civic distinc- 
tions of the successful tradesman, from alderman to 
lord-mayor, and was now member of Parliament for 
London, and most pliable instrument of the Pro- 




Cromwell axd the Crown' of England. p. 2S.'{. 



The Vision of a Crown. 283 

tector, arose and craved permission to introduce, 
" somewhat tending to the settlement of the nation, 
and of liberty and property." He had a paper 
" which," as he expressed it with a cunning dubious- 
ness, " had come to his hand," and which he would 
ask the permission of the House to read. This paper 
bore the title of a " Remonstrance from the Parlia- 
ment," and was addressed to His Highness the Pro- 
tector, inviting him to assume the title of king of the 
monarchy which it proposed to restore, and to ap- 
point his successor. 

The reading of the paper was opposed with great 
energy, and the excitement became so violent that 
Sir Christopher, after being sharply questioned and 
severely rebuked, was dragged by his opponents 
from his place next the Speaker to the bar of the 
House. The weight of Parliament was, however, on 
Pack's side, and he was resolutely defended by his 
friends, and the proposition to read the Remonstrance 
carried by the large majority of 144 against 54. The 
next clay was appointed for the debate on the sub- 
ject, which was, however, finally postponed for seve- 
ral clays.- In the mean time a solemn fast, a frequent 
preliminary in those days to important business, was 
decreed by Parliament, in order to prepare itself re- 
ligiously for the consideration of the great question. 
On this very day a hundred officers of the army, un- 
der the leadership of Lambert, Desbrough, Fleet- 
wood, Whalley, and GofFe, presented themselves to 



284 Oliver Cromwell, 

the Protector, and urged him not to accept the title 
of king, on the ground that it was displeasing to the 
army, a scandal to the people of God, of great re- 
joicing to the enemy, hazardous to his own person, 
and dangerous to the country, as such an assumption 
made way for Charles Stuart to come again. 

Cromwell, in his reply, declared that the first intel- 
ligence he had of the matter came from those who 
had just addressed him, denied that he had engaged 
in any cabal for the purpose, and proudly told the 
officers that he loved " the title — a mere feather in 
the hat — " as little as they did. Nor did he fail to 
rebuke them for their eager interference, reminding 
them that there had been a time when they had not 
" boggled" at the word king. lie closed by declar- 
ing the necessity there was of a check or balancing 
power to Parliament, illustrating it by the arbitrary 
conduct of that body in the case of Naylor, and ask- 
ing: "May it not be any one's case some other 
day?" 

Some of the major-generals were entirely won 
over by Cromwell, and the officers generally were so 
far conciliated, that they all, without exception, pro- 
mised to let the debate in Parliament have its course 
without interruption. There was a mutual conces- 
sion. Cromwell consented that the title of king should 
remain in abeyance until the close'of the session, and 
that no article of the proposed bill should be con- 
sidered obligatory until the whole had passed. The 



Parliament offers the Crown. 285 

officers conceded the propriety of an upper house, 
and the right to the Protector of appointing a suc- 
cessor. 

The bill, after a long but not violent debate of five 
weeks, passed. The consideration of the first article 
which conferred the title of king was postponed to 
the last, and when it came up for debate, the Parlia- 
ment sat with closed doors, and the attendance of 
every member was vigorously insisted upon. The 
article passed by a majority of sixty-one, and the 
title of the bill being changed from an "Address and 
Remonstrance" to that of the more courtly one of 
" Humble Petition and Advice," and being duly en- 
grossed on vellum, was ready for presentation to His 
Highness the Protector. 

Cromwell having appointed the 31st of March, 
1657, for the presentation of the address, received at 
eleven o'clock on that day, in the banqueting-house 
of the palace of Whitehall, while surrounded by a 
group of the principal officers of his government, the 
Speaker Widdington, who, bearing the important 
document, and supported by the whole body of Par- 
liament, presented himself to the Protector. The 
details of the bill were then stated by the Speaker, 
after a short preliminary address full of courtly com- 
pliment and oriental luxuriance of rhetoric. " I 
am," he said, " sensible that I speak before a great 
person, the exactness of whose judgment ought to 
scatter and chase away all unnecessary speeches, as 
the sun doth the vapors." 



286 Oliver Cromwell. 

Cromwell responded in a speech, the purport of 
which was to postpone a definite answer to the Par- 
liamentary proposition. He wished some short 
time, he said, to ask counsel of God and of his own 
heart. He was oppressed with the magnitude of the 
subject. He had lived in the latter part of his age, 
he declared in his emphatic manner, in the fire, in the 
midst of troubles, but his heart and spirit had never 
been so moved by that fear and reverence of God 
that becomes a Christian, as it had by this thing now 
offered to him. Cromwell, no doubt, was sincere in 
these expressions of deep concern in reference to the 
momentous subject. That he was thoroughly con- 
vinced of the advantages of a monarchical form of 
government, and of his own supreme capacity to go- 
vern, as its head, we are thoroughly convinced. We 
are equally persuaded that the mere title of a king, 
as far as his personal ambition was concerned, was 
really no more to the great mind of Cromwell " than 
a mere feather in his hat." He himself weighed it 
justly, but his experience of mankind taught him 
that a word was often a power with the multitude. 
Sovereignty his ambition would have; his genius 
was conscious of its power to wield it, and experience 
had confirmed the supremacy which the instinctive 
greatness of his nature had asserted. Cromwell con- 
scientiously believed that his rule was essential to 
the salvation of his country, aud strove to strengthen 
it by establishing it on a basis that was deeply seated 



Deliberates on the Kingship. 287 

in the heart of the nation. His politic mind was now 
deliberating upon the expediency of establishing what 
his own judgment convinced him was essential to the 
permanency of his power. He was conscious of the 
powerful opposition on the part of the army and the 
intense republicans, to his views, and he was not yet 
prepared to carry them out at the hazard of the dan- 
gerous enmity of those who appeared to control so 
great a strength of resistance. He wanted more 
time to test the influence both of his friends and ene- 
mies, and put off the issue of the kingship until he 
should carefully study its possible effects upon his 
power. 

The matter was thus postponed, and nothing done 
until three days subsequently, when the Protector 
sent word to the Parliament that he desired another 
conference. The large committee of eighty-two were 
accordingly appointed by the House, and immediately 
proceeded to Whitehall. Cromwell, on this occasion, 
instead of giving a direct answer to the main question 
of the kingship, coquetted with the proposition of 
Parliament, and while he neither said yea nor nay 
to it, coyly encouraged the advances of his suitors, 
and astutely left his decision to be guided by the 
policy of time. He threw the responsibility of his 
apparent irresoluteness upon the exacting clause of 
the Parliamentary bill, which insisted upon his ac- 
ceptance of all or nothing, and at the same time 
seemed to encourage the House in retaining that 



288 Oliver Cromwell. 

clause. The Parliament understood this, and" on 
receiving the report of their committee, voted " that 
this House doth adhere to their humble petition and 
advice." Conference followed conference, in which 
Parliament continued cogently to insist upon the rea- 
sons for the acceptance of the crown, and the Pro- 
tector gently persevered in his hesitating policy. 

While Cromwell was thus carefully feeling his 
way toward the giddy ascent of the throne, some 
wild fanatics fearlessly scaled the eminence, and in 
their profane ravings, declared Jesus Christ the only 
King of England. These crazed enthusiasts styled 
themselves the Fifth-Monarchy men, and chose for 
their apostle one Venner, a wine-cooper. Spiritually 
minded as these fanatics professed to be, they did not 
the less avail themselves of temporal means for the 
establishment of their views, and the prosecution of 
their designs. They appeared at Shoreditch, ready 
to take the field, full armed and equipped, with sup- 
plies of ammunition, sermons, and tracts to persuade, 
and gunpowder and cannon-balls to compel, and rais- 
ing their standard, upon which was painted a red lion 
in repose, with the motto, " Who shall rouse him 
up?" prepared to war against all who did not ac- 
knowledge the reign of Christ, as represented by the 
"Assembly of Saints" — Venner & Co. A cavalry 
squadron of the regulars, timely ordered to the ren- 
dezvous by the rapid energy of Cromwell, who had 
learned all through the ever-watchful intelligence of 



Fifth-Monarchy Men. 289 

his secretary, Thurlow, soon scattered the " saints," 
and dispelled their celestial visions of monarchy. 
Several leading men of the country were implicated 
by the confessions of these fanatics, and among such 
were Harrison, Rich, and Lawson, who were arrested 
in consequence, and imprisoned. The crime of those 
concerned in the Fifth-Monarchy treason was punish- 
able by death, but the Protector treated the crimi- 
nals with great indulgence, as, apart from motives of 
humanity, it was his policy to show his confidence in 
his own power by an apparent contempt of all attacks 
upon it. 

The coquetry between Parliament and Cromwell, 
for a while interrupted by the absurd manifestation 
of the Fifth-Monarchy fanatics, was renewed and con- 
tinued from day to day, with the same uncertainty 
of result. Cromwell, however, while he appeared to 
place great stress upon the conferences with the Par- 
liament, and to be pondering deeply upon its reasons 
in favor of his acceptance of the crown, was in fact 
perfectly regardless of the long-drawn arguments of 
the Parliamentary lawyers. His own mind had long 
since been settled on the question of the monarchy. 
He was not weighing other people's arguments to 
convince his understanding, but testing the feeling 
and opinions of others to direct his policy. 

His chief difficulty was with the republican leaders 
of the army, and among these were two of his own 
relatives, Desbrough,. his brother-in-law, and Fleet- 
13 



290 Oliver Cromwell. 

wood, who had married his daughter. These men 
conscientiously believed that the acceptance of the 
crown would be fatal to the Protector, his family, and 
his adherents. Cromwell strove to gain over Des 
brough and Fleetwood, and on a day appointed for a 
conference with the Parliamentary committee, he 
familiarly invited himself to dinner with his brother- 
in-law, taking Fleetwood with him. In the course of 
the dinner, Cromwell gayly alluded to the kingship, 
repeating his accustomed phrase, that it was but a 
feather in a man's cap, and adding that he wondered, 
therefore, that men should not please the children, 
and permit them to enjoy their rattle. Desbrough 
and Fleetwood did not agree with him, but frankly 
told him that those who were persuading him to take 
the crown were no enemies to Charles Stuart, and 
that his acceptance of it would be ruinous to himself 
and his family. Cromwell rose from the table in a 
cheerful humor, in spite of this opposition, and as he 
took leave of his relatives, said good-naturedly: 
" You are a couple of scrupulous fellows." 

It seemed now the determination of Cromwell to 
accept the crown. fSuch was the opinion of his own 
family, his intimate friends, the Parliament, and the 
public. Sir Francis Russell, whose daughter mar- 
ried Henry Cromwell, wrote to his son-in-law thus : 
"I do in this letter desire to take leave of your 
lordship, for my next is likely to be .to the Duke of 
York. Your father begins to come out of the clouds, 



The Crown wrought. 291 

• 

and it appears to us that he will take the kingly 
power upon him." It was rumored that a crown 
had already been duly wrought and deposited in 
Whitehall, in readiness for the coronation, and 
Cromwell himself had declared, " that he was satis- 
fied in his private judgment that it was fit for him 
to take upon him the title of King." The Protector 
not only held the formal conferences with Parlia- 
ment upon the subject of the kingship, but frequently 
invited his firmer adherents and more trusty friends 
to private interviews at Whitehall, where he would 
shut himself up with them only for many hours 
together, and deny himself to all others. On these 
occasions Cromwell would throw aside all ceremony 
and join in the most intimate converse with his 
friends, and so far yield to the natural cheerfulness 
of his temper as to call for tobacco, pipes, and caudle, 
and propose a game of crambo, where one gives a 
word and another puzzles his ingenuity to find a 
rhyme to it. While the party, which was generally 
made up of Lord Broghill, Pierrepont, Whitlocke, 
Wolsey, and his Secretary, Thurlow, were thus en- 
tertained with smoking, joking, and conversing, 
Cromwell would frequently start the subject of the 
kingship, and learn, in the freedom of unrestrained 
companionship, the opinions of his chosen friends. 

The Protector, it is believed, having fully resolved 
upon accepting the crown, summoned the Parlia- 
mentary commissioners, not to Whitehall as before, 



292 Oliver Cromwell. 

but, as if to give proper dignity to the great occasion, 
to the Painted Chamber, in the hall of Westminster, 
to hear his final answer. This meeting was set 
down for the seventh of May, but in the mean time 
an occurrence had intervened, which had suddenly 
reversed the decision of Cromwell, and changed the 
destiny of England. While the Protector, on the 
evening before, was strolling in St. James's Park, he 
met his brother-in-law, Desbrough, whom he joined 
and frankly told him of his purpose to accept the 
crown. Desbrough, greatly excited, answered : 
" That he then gave the cause and Cromwell's 
family also for lost ; and that although he was re- 
solved never to act against him, yet he would not 
act for him after that time." They parted, both 
deeply moved, the Protector shaken in his resolu- 
tion and Desbrough firm in his opposition. The 
latter, on his return home, found Colonel Pride, the 
famous actor in the Parliamentary " purge," and ex- 
claimed at once on seeing him : " Cromwell is 
determined to accept the crown." " He shall not," 
declared the peremptory Pride. " Why," said the 
other, " how wilt thou hinder it 1" " Get me a 
petition drawn and I will prevent it," remarked 
Pride. They then joined arms and hastened to the 
famous Presbyterian divine, Dr. Owen, who, agree- 
ing with them in opposition to the kingship, willingly 
prepared a remonstrance. Cromwell, made aware 
of this decided opposition, again postponed the inter- 



Refusal of the Crown. 293 

view with the Parliamentary commissioners. They 
were in attendance, when the Protector passing 
through the hall, slightly excused himself for having 
detained them so long, and, begging them to return 
on the following morning, went out into his garden 
and examined the points of a Barbary horse which 
had been brought there for his inspection. 

The remonstrance against the kingship was, in the 
mean time, presented to the House and read, but 
before any action was taken Cromwell hurriedly 
summoned his son-in-law, Fleetwood, to his presence, 
and reproached him with great severity for allowing 
the presentation of the remonstrance ; for, said the 
Protector, " I was resolved not to accept the crown 
without the consent of the army." Fleetwood was 
dispatched at once to the House to stop all proceed- 
ings, and the Parliamentary commissioners imme- 
diately summoned to receive Cromwell's final deci- 
sion. On their arrival at Whitehall, the Protector, 
having in a few preliminary words approved of the 
general principles of the Parliamentary measure for 
settling the government, closed, with this emphatic 
refusal of the crown: "But truly this is my answer, 
that, (although I think the Act of Government doth 
consist of very excellent parts, in all but that one 
thing, of the title as to me,) I should not be an 
honest man if I did not tell you that I can not accept 
of the government, nor undertake the trouble and 
charge of it — as to which I have a little more ex- 



294 Oliver Cromwell. 

pcrimented than every body, what troubles and 
difficulties do befall men under such trusts, and in 
such undertakings — I say I am persuaded to return 
this answer to you, that I can not undertake this 
government with the title of king. And that is 
mine answer to this great and weighty business." 

The title of king was thus, after the long agony of 
many weeks, finally disposed of. The " mere feather 
in the hat" was blown away, but the substantial power 
remained, and Cromwell was king in all but the name. 
The Protector was confirmed in his sovereign au- 
thority, granted the privilege of nominating his suc- 
cessor, and permitted to surround himself with the 
aristocratic defense of an Upper House. 

Cromwell had now reached the height of his ambi- 
tion, and it is said that his thoughts often, at this 
time, recurred to an early vision of his youth. 
While a lad he had one day thrown himself upon 
his bed to rest from the fatigues of his boyish sports, 
in which his active spirit led him to indulge with 
thoughtless excess. He was so restless from excite- 
ment and over-fatigue that he could not sleep, but 
tossed about in uneasy disquietude until his eye 
was suddenly attracted by the apparent drawing of 
the curtains of his bed, and the apparition of a gigan- 
tic female figure, which returned his glance with a 
fixed look, and, after a moment of stern silence, 
seemed to utter distinctly the prophecy that he 
should, before his death, be the greatest man in 



Inauguration. 295 

England. The young Cromwell often dwelt upon 
this prophetic utterance, and repeated it to his 
family. The stern rebukes of his father, and the 
severe threshings of his schoolmaster, could not pre- 
vent the lad from persisting in what he believed to 
be the truth. The impression of his youth had 
never left him, and now, in age, the fulfillment of the 
prophecy brought back the vision in all its early 
distinctness. Cromwell, arrived at the summit of 
greatness, though his temples were not rounded with 
a, crown, is said, as he recalled the visionary sybil to 
his imagination, to have remembered that in her 
prophetic utterance there was no mention of the 
word, king. 

As there was to be no coronation it was resolved 
to give to the inauguration of the Lord-Protector 
under the new constitution, all the splendor of 
royalty. Accordingly, great preparations were 
made to give eclat to the event, which took place on 
the 26th of June, 1657. Cromwell sailed in a royal 
barge from Whitehall, and on landing being met by 
a brilliant assemblage of the foreign ambassadors, 
the dignitaries and great men of the land, he was 
escorted by them in procession to Westminster. 
On entering, Cromwell proceeded directly to the 
chair of state, over which had been arranged a rich 
canopy, and took his seat in the midst of the accla- 
mations of the assemblage. In front of the chair 
was a table, covered with pink Genoa velvet, fringed 



296 Oliver Cromwell. 

with gold, bearing upon it the Bible, richly gilt and 
embossed, a massive golden sceptre, a sword, and a 
robe of purple velvet lined with ermine. Before 
the table was seated the Speaker of Parliament, 
Widdington. Cromwell was immediately surround- 
ed by his own family, while to his right was placed 
the French Ambassador, and Eobert Earl of War- 
wick, and on his left stood the Dutch Ambassador, 
and the Lord-Mayor of London. The Speaker, 
Widdington, as soon as the Protector had seated 
himself in the chair of state, rose, and first having 
clothed the Protector with the royal purple, and girt 
him with the sword of state, put into his hands the 
sceptre, and finally the Bible, when he administered 
the oath. After the oath had been taken and 
prayer had been offered by the State Chaplain, the 
herald proclaimed Oliver Cromwell Lord-Protector 
of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Shouts of " Long 
live his Highness !" and loud huzzas, responded to the 
proclamation. Cromwell then rose, and bowing, 
passed out with great ceremony, several young 
nobles bearing the train of his purple robe, and the 
great personages of the assemblage following him in 
procession to the state carriage, which bore him 
back again to his palace of Whitehall. The cere- 
mony of the inauguration being over, the Parliament 
resumed its session for the day, and having passed 
several acts of minor importance, finally adjourned 
for a space of six months. 



Death of Blake. 297 

The death of the great Blake at this time threw 
a gloom over the whole nation. He was returning 
in triumph from a brilliant naval victory over the 
Spaniards, and had arrived off Plymouth, within 
sight of the land, when, worn out with the fatigues 
of a long and arduous service, and broken down 
by a complication of diseases, he breathed his last 
on board of his ship, the St. George, as she came to 
anchor beneath the shadows of the white cliffs of old 
England. The last deed of Blake is one of the most 
famous among the records of naval glory. The 
Spanish fleet, and its convoy of galleons, opulent 
with the wealth of the Spanish mines and the splendid 
riches of the East, had sought protection under the 
batteries of Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, 
from the threatening presence of the English ships, 
which guarded the coast of Spain and obstructed all 
approach to its harbors. Blake, discovering the 
place of refuge of the Spaniards, bore down upon 
Teneriffe, and determined to burst upon the enemy 
and surprise him in the very midst of his fancied 
security. The Spanish fleet consisted of six enor- 
mous galleons and ten smaller vessels, which, being 
moored within the bay of Santa Cruz, and protected 
by the well-mounted fortresses, seemed to bid defiance 
to all attack. Blake's resolute daring was such 
as to surmount every obstacle, and although, 
until this great commander had illustrated the re- 
verse by his brilliant example, it was deemed an 
13* 



298 Oliver Cromwell. 

impossibility for a fleet to gain an advantage over 
forts on land, he fearlessly determined to sail his 
ships right under the batteries and make the bold 
attempt of silencing or demolishing them. The 
Admiral had no hope of capturing the Spanish fleet ; 
he therefore determined to destroy it, and he ac- 
cordingly ordered Staynor, the victor of Cadiz, to 
sail into the harbor and to strike the smaller vessels 
while he himself would take care of the galleons. 
The action began at eight in the morning, and at 
seven in the evening, the forts were silenced and the 
Spanish fleet demolished. The English lost only forty- 
eight men in this daring action and brilliant victory. 
The conquest won, nature seemed to smile upon the 
victors, and vouchsafe its blessing by sending a 
prosperous wind by which the English ships were 
enabled to sail out into the open sea. The occur- 
rence of a south-west wind in that latitude and at 
that season, was deemed a miraculous change of the 
laws of nature, and the devout English gratefully 
accepted it as a special interposition of Providence. 

Blake was deservedly the pride of all his country- 
men, and was universally beloved in spite of the 
partisanship which divided the heart of England. 
He was an unbending republican, but above all a 
patriot, and although he opposed, from political 
principles, the usurpation of the supreme power by 
Cromwell, he said to his sailors, when he received 
intelligence of the Lord-Protector's absolute rule: 



His Power. 209 

It is still our duty to fight for our country, into what 
hands soever the government may fall. A stately 
funeral was decreed in honor of the memory of 
Blake, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey 
with great pomp and ceremony, while the grief of 
all England burst forth in tears for the loss of their 
countryman. 

Cromwell, though yielding so far to the opposition 
of his antagonists as to give up his favorite policy of 
assuming the crown, was not disposed to concede 
any thing of his real power. Lambert, who had 
shown himself among the most strenuous opponents 
of the kingship, and who was suspected of ambitious 
aspirations towards the supreme authority, was 
fearlessly crushed at once, notwithstanding his great 
influence in the army. Cromwell was politic but 
fearless, and although he might be guided in conduct 
by the bearing of his enemies, he did not fear them. 
The Protector deprived Lambert of his commission 
in the army and of all his appointments, but pur- 
chased his silence by a liberal pension of two thou- 
sands pounds a year, which the inveterate republican 
was not too scrupulous to accept, but quietly retired 
into the country, consoling himself with the enjoy- 
ment of the fruits of his subserviency. 

Cromwell, securely established in the full enjoy- 
ment of his power, was not unmindful of the interests 
of his family. For his daughters he sought the best 
alliances in England ; two he had already married, 



300 Oliver Cromwell 

one to Fleetwood, and the other to Claypole. These 
connections had been formed before Cromwell had 
reached the zenith of his greatness, and were less 
brilliant than those he now formed for his remaining 
daughters. Mary ' Cromwell, who was ambitious, 
mil of spirit, and endowed with much of her father's 
genius, readily gave her hand to Viscount Falcon- 
bridge, and gratified her love of distinction by 
becoming a countess. The youngest daughter, 
Frances, was of a softer temper than her elder sister, 
and more led by her heart than guided by her head. 
She was tender-hearted and easily awakened to a 
sense of love. She is said to have encouraged the 
addresses of one of her father's chaplains, a certain 
Mr. Jeremy White, a youth of pleasing manners 
and possessed of a soft tongue and a cunning wit. 
On one occasion, Cromwell, who suspected the love- 
passage between his daughter and his aspiring chap- 
lain, entered suddenly her room and found Jeremy 
on his knees, preferring his suit and kissing Fanny's 
hand. " What's the meaning of this V cried out 
Cromwell. The ready-witted White, pointing to a 
lady's maid who was present, answered : " I have a 
long time courted that young gentlewoman and can 
not prevail ; I was, therefore, humbly praying her 
ladyship to intercede for me." " How now, hus- 
sey !" said Cromwell, addressing the woman, " why 
do you refuse the honor Mr. White would do you ? 
He is my friend and I expect you should treat him 



Advances his Family. 301 

as such." The cunning wench was as ready as the 
quick-witted chaplain, and replied, curtseying : " If 
Mr. White intends me that honor, I shall not he 
against him." " Say'st thou so, my lass % Call 
Goodwin, this business shall be done presently, 
before I go out of the room," was the prompt rejoin- 
der of the Protector. The chaplain Goodwin was 
accordingly summoned, and Master Jeremy White 
was joined on the instant in bonds of matrimony, not 
with the mistress but the maid. 

Cromwell had more ambitious views for his daugh- 
er. Propositions had already been made to him for 
an alliance with Charles II., and the Protectress had 
warmly advocated the royal marriage. The Protec- 
tor, however, would listen to no such propositions. 
" You are a fool," rudely remarked Cromwell to his 
wife, who was trying to persuade him to the match ; 
" Charles Stuart can never forgive me his father's 
death, and if he can, he is unworthy of the crown." 
The Duke d'Enghien, the son of the Prince of Conde, 
was another royal suitor, but the Protector rejected 
him for the young Robert Rich, grandson and heir 
of the Earl of Warwick, by whom the tender-hearted 
Frances had already been won over. Cromwell was 
well satisfied with this marriage, and celebrated it 
with great state. He himself was so overcome by 
the joyfulness of the occasion as to indulge in some 
of his favorite buffooneries and practical jokes. He 
threw about the sack-posset, and sweetmeats among 



302 Oliver CromzveU. 

the ladies, spoiling their clothes, which they took as 
a favor. He snatched off his son-in-law Rich's wig 
and sat upon it ; set some of his attendants at black- 
ing the lips of his guests, and indulged in other tom- 
fooleries. He often relieved himself from the pres- 
sure of business and the restriction of ceremony, by 
wild outbursts of gayety. He would take up the 
cushions and throw them at his officers, who were 
allowed to return the compliments, and thus make 
his apartment a scene of uproar and confusion. He 
had a great fund of boisterous merriment, and an 
acute sense of the ludicrous, which gave him a hearty 
appreciation of a humorous situation. On one occa- 
sion Cromwell was seated at table with some of the 
highest dignitaries of the realm and the chief 
officers of the army, over their wine, when a fresh 
bottle was brought up, which was of so rare and ex- 
cellent a vintage that he would allow no man to 
open it but himself. On attempting to draw the 
cork the corkscrew dropped from his hand, when 
all the guests flung themselves on the floor to pick 
it up. Cromwell burst out into a hearty laugh, and 
exclaimed : " Should any fool put in his head at the 
door he would fancy, from your posture, that you 
were seeking the Lord ; and you are only seeking a 
corkscrew." His practical jokes were frequent, and 
not always of the most delicate kind. He would 
often put hot coals into the stockings and boots of 
his attendants, and a favorite frolic of his was to in- 



The New House of Peers. 303 

vite his officers to a feast, and as they were just 
about seating themselves, to call in at a given sig- 
nal the common soldiers and allow them to scramble 
for the dishes, to the manifest loss of the regular 
guests, who were obliged to go empty away. Such 
was the rough unbending of the strong man, and the 
kind of rude merriment he manifested in his joy at 
his daughter's wedding. 

Cromwell's sons had both been elevated to the 
highest dignities, not, however, without a discrimi- 
nating regard to their character. Eichard, the eldest, 
who was of a retired disposition, fond of contem- 
plative ease and domestic enjoyment, was made Chan- 
cellor of the University of Oxford, while Henry, who 
was possessed of a strong intellect, a bold spirit, a 
prompt energy, and great administrative talent, was 
appointed Lord-Deputy of Ireland. 

The creation of the new House of Lords gave 
Cromwell an opportunity of raising both his sons to 
the peerage. It was not easy for him, however, to 
find equally appropriate members of this " other" 
House, as the republicans, with an unconquerable 
aversion to the term " Lords," persisted in calling it. 
The other members of his family, his two brothers- 
in-law, Desbrough and Jones, and his sons by mar- 
riage, Claypole, Fleetwood, young Rich, and Viscount 
Falconbridge, were naturally in the list of peers. 
To these were added some fifty-three more, making 
up for the whole number sixty-one, although only 



304 Oliver Cromwell. 

forty-two presented themselves to take the oath and 
their seats. The Earl of Warwick, a devoted ad- 
herent of Cromwell, and the grandfather of young 
Eich who had married the Protector's daughter 
Frances, could not, in spite of his personal attach- 
ment to Cromwell, overcome his aristocratic preju- 
dices sufficiently to sit in the Upper House ; for 
nothing, as he said, could induce him to make himself 
the fellow of Hewson and Pride, the former of 
whom had been a cobbler, and the latter a drayman. 

The institution of the " other" House was one of 
the most embarrassing measures the fertile genius 
of Cromwell ever accomplished. Parliament had 
reassembled, after an adjournment of six months, 
and presented themselves at once in an attitude of 
resolute opposition to the Protector. The friends 
of Cromwell in the Lower House had been diminish- 
ed by his drafts upon it for the Lords, and his ene- 
mies increased by the admission of the one hundred 
members whom Cromwell had so arbitrarily ex- 
cluded in the preceding session. 

The Protector opened Parliament with regal for- 
mality. The Commons were summoned by the 
usher of the black rod to the presence of His High- 
ness, in the House of Lords, and on their arrival 
Cromwell addressed the two bodies of Parliament 
thus : " My Lords and gentlemen." The Protector 
was resolved upon giving his new creation all the 
dignity of the old House of Lords, and, with studied 



Opposed by Parliament. 305 

ceremony, availed himself of all the forms which 
belonged to the ancient monarchy. The republican 
feeling in the Commons, which was now in the 
ascendency, repelled these approaches to kingship, 
and on the first opportunity boldly resisted them. 
Two messengers came in behalf of the Upper House 
to invite the Commons to join with them in an 
humble address to the Lord-Protector to appoint a 
day of prayer and fasting. They had no sooner 
presented themselves as from the House of Lords, 
when a great clamor arose, and several members 
cried out in much excitement: "You have no mes- 
sage to receive from them as Lords." For five days 
the House of Commons was a scene of violent agi- 
tation on this question of lordly title, and the repub- 
licans so far triumphed in their opposition to the 
aristocratic appellation of which they had so much 
horror, as to succeed in carrying the motion that the 
Commons would send its answer to the Other House 
by its own messenger. 

Cromwell was not to be balked thus. His reso- 
lute will would not bend to any pressure, however 
great and violent. He was determined to show that 
he was the sovereign master, and, although weaken- 
ed in bodily vigor from sickness, he was prepared 
to prove that his energy of mind was yet in the 
fullness of its strength. As rapid as thought he 
fixed his purpose and executed it without delay. He 
decided to dissolve the Parliament which had ruth- 



306 Oliver Cromwell. 

lessly provoked his auger. No sooner did he learn 
the fatal vote of the Commons, than seizing his hat 
and beckoning to a half-dozen of his trusty guards, 
he rushed out, and in his angry impatience, not wait- 
ing for his own carriage, leapt into the nearest hack- 
ney-coach and drove to Westminster. As he 
alighted, his son-in-law, Fleetwood, received him, and 
as he observed his excited manner and learned his 
resolve, tried with earnest . entreaty, to divert him 
from his purpose. Cromwell would listen to no 
advice, but clapping his hand to his heart, he swore 
by the living God he would do it. The House of 
Commons were at once summoned to the presence 
of the Lord-Protector, who addressed them in a 
short and emphatic speech, in the course of which he 
uttered these remarkable words : " I can say, in the 
presence of God, in comparison of whom we are but 
like poor creeping ants upon the earth, I would have 
been glad to have lived under my wood-side, to have 
kept a flock of sheep, rather than undertook such a 
government as this." He closed with the sentence : 
" I think it high time that an end be put unto your 
sitting, and I do dissolve this Parliament, and let 
God judge between you and me." To which one of 
his opponents uttered an indignant amen. This was 
the last Parliament that ever sat in the time of 
Cromwell, and we have given the closing words of 
the last speech ever uttered by that sovereign of 
indomitable will. 



The Royalists again. 307 

The Royalists, ever on the watch to strike an 
assassin-blow, when their noble enemy seemed the 
least protected, chose this' occasion, when Cromwell 
had by his arbitrary dissolution of the Parliament, 
diminished the force of his friends, and added to the 
numbers of his enemies. Charles II., in conjunction 
with the Spaniards who were his friends, and the 
enemies of his country, prepared to avail himself of 
the supposed weakness of the Protector, and to wrest 
the sovereignty from his grasp. The emissaries of 
the exiled prince had arrived in England, and were 
busy in plots and preparations for the restoration of 
the Stuarts. Cromwell, however, was on his guard, 
and was as sagacious in detecting the designs of his 
secret enemies, as he was courageous in opposing his 
open antagonists. The Protector was as prudent as 
he was daring, and as diligent in providing against 
danger as he was bold in meeting it. With the aid 
of his watchful secretary, Thurlow, he succeeded in 
anticipating every conspiracy that was ever plotted 
against his life and authority ; and as he always 
struck at the right moment — never too soon for evi- 
dence, and never too late for success — his blow fell 
always with crushing effect. In illustration of Crom- 
well's vigilance, it is stated that a Royalist, high in 
favor with the Stuarts, once asked the Protector's 
permission to travel, which was granted on the con- 
dition that he should not see the royal exile. On this 
gentleman's return to England, Cromwell summoned 



308 Oliver Cromwell. 

him to an interview, and questioned him as to whe- 
ther he had kept his pledge. The answer was that 
he had. Then said the Protector : " When you met 
Charles Stuart, who put out the candles V The de- 
tected Royalist was overwhelmed with the question 
and said nothing. "And what did Charles Stuart 
say to you ?" continued Cromwell. The gentleman 
replied that nothing confidential had passed between 
him and the Prince. " Did he not give you a let- 
ter ?" On his answering No to this inquiry, Crom- 
well, remarking, "The letter was sewed into the 
lining of your hat," took the hat, and finding the let- 
ter, called his guard and sent off the Royalist to the 
Tower. 

On another occasion the Protector, meeting Lord 
Broghill, said to him: "An old friend of yours is 
just come to town." ■ " Who ?" asked his lordship. 
" The Marquis of Ormond," was the answer. Brog- 
hill protested his ignorance, and Cromwell replied : 
"I know that very well, but he lodges in Drury 
Lane, at the house of a Papist surgeon there ; and if 
you want to save your old friend, let him know that 
I am aware of his whereabouts and what he is doing." 
Lord Broghill followed the Protector's advice, and 
his acquaintance rapidly availed himself of his lord- 
ship's information, and made off with all speed. The 
presence of Lord Ormond in England was in connec- 
tion with the proposed conspiracy for the invasion 
of England on the part of Charles Stuart and his 



The Plan of the Boyalists. 309 

allies of Spain. The plan of the Royalists was to 
rise simultaneously with the arrival of the Spaniards 
upon the coast; and Saturday night, the 15th May, 
1658, was the time appointed for the outburst in 
London. At the beat of the drum the Royalist ap- 
prentices were to assemble, and with riot, conflagra- 
tion, and massacre, to involve the capital in disorder, 
by which it was hoped that the enemy might have an 
opportunity of confounding the government, and 
overthrowing, its authority. Cromwell, well aware 
of the conspiracy, and thoroughly informed of the 
minutest detail, waited almost to the very hour ap- 
pointed, and then seized upon the ringleaders, and 
crushing the plot, destroyed every hope of the con- 
spirators. 

Among the ringleaders who were seized were Sir 
Henry Slingsby, the uncle of Lord Falconbridge, 
who had married Mary Cromwell ; and the Rev. Dr. 
Hewitt, an Episcopalian divine, who had performed 
the ceremony of that marriage, after it had been first 
officially celebrated by one of the Protector's chap- 
lains. Cromwell's daughter, Lady Claypole, was 
said to have been so far attached to the old Anglican 
Church, as to attend its worship, in preference to the 
holding forth of the Independent preachers, whose 
company her father so much affected. This lady was 
one of the most devoted attendants at the service of 
the Episcopal Church, which the orthodox Dr. Hew- 
itt regularly performed in his own house ; and this 



310 Oliver Cromwell. 

favorite daughter of Cromwell was greatly attached 
to this divine, whom she considered her pastor. 
When he was convicted of treason and condemned to 
the block, Lady Claypole exerted all the influence 
she possessed over the heart of her father, to divert 
him from his resolute purpose of sacrificing Hewitt 
to the demands of justice. Cromwell, although he 
lacerated the affections of his heart in the struggle 
between his love for his daughter and his sense of 
duty, was unyielding, and allowed the law to take its 
course, both in the case of Hewitt and Sir Henry 
Slingsbv, in whose behalf the same influences had 
been tried as for the Episcopal divine. Lady Clay- 
pole's sensitive nature was deeply wounded, and she 
suffered soon after from an illness which has been 
attributed to the shock her tender heart received 
from her father's unbending severity towards her 
friend and pastor. 

Cromwell, beset on all sides with conspiracies, and 
dogged by assassins hid in every dark corner, with 
their hands upon their daggers ready to plunge them 
into his heart, was compelled to be very wary of his 
life. His own body-guard were not without suspi- 
cion, and so watchful was the Protector obliged to 
be, that he frequently, at night, went the rounds of 
the posts at his palace in person. " The Protector's 
own muster-roll," said a contemporary writer,* 

* The tract, "Killing no Murder." 



Suspicious of Assassins. 311 

" contains the names of those who aspire to the honor 
of delivering their country ; His Highness is not se- 
cure at his table or in his bed ; death is at his heels 
-wherever he moves." He was compelled to use 
every guard for the safety of his life; he wore a 
steel shirt under his dress, and carried his loaded pis- 
tols and his dagger incessantly.- At his residence of 
Whitehall, several different chambers were appropri- 
ated for his own use, each of which had a secret door, 
and whenever he rode out, he took with him a large 
body of devoted attendants, and ordering his postil- 
lions to urge the horses to the top of their speed, 
always diverged from the usual routes, and never 
returned by the same road he set out. Cromwell 
became naturally suspicious of all but his own family 
and of a few of his most devoted friends, of whom 
his secretary, Thurlow, was the most trusted. He 
was in daily, almost hourly, association with this lat- 
ter indefatigable servant. There was a secret passage 
from the garden to Thurlow's office in Lincoln's Inn, 
made expressly for Cromwell, which he was in the 
constant habit of using. On one occasion, late at 
night, the Protector sought his faithful secretary and 
intelligent counsellor, through this concealed way, 
and found him in his office, where, beginning to con- 
fer with Thurlow on some business of the highest 
moment, Cromwell's attention was attracted by the 
presence of Moreland, one of the clerks, who, with 
his head reclined upon his desk, seemed to be fast 



312 Oliver Cromwell. 

asleep. But the Protector, suspicious that the man's 
sleep was only a pretense, and that he had overheard 
him, drew his dagger and approached, ready to dis- 
patch the clerk, when Thurlow held back Cromwell's 
hand, and urged him to desist, as he could assure him 
Moreland was fast asleep, since he had sat up for two 
nights together. 

Cromwell's proud heart could turn from this hu- 
miliating contest at home with the spy and the assas- 
sin, to the contemplation of his power and glory 
abroad, where mighty sovereigns and great nations 
readily yielded to the supremacy of his genius. The 
magnificent Louis XIV. eagerly caught at an offer of 
alliance with the Protector, and came down from the 
splendor of Versailles, with his Queen and his proud 
court, to the very shore at Calais, and extended his 
arms to receive within their royal embrace, Crom- 
well's ambassador and son-in-law, Falconbriclge. The 
French King had spread a royal tent upon the quay, 
that he might extend his welcome to the furthest 
limit of his dominion, and leave nothing but the na- 
tural barrier of the narrowest strait, to separate his 
Majesty from the might of Oliver Cromwell. Fal- 
conbridge was honored with unusual attentions from 
that most magnificent of nionarchs, Louis XIV. The 
king, uncovering in the presence of the English am- 
bassador, conversed with him on the most familiar 
terms. The haughty Cardinal Mazarin so far unbent 
from his grandeur as to attend Falconbridge to his 



Alliance with France. 313 

carriage — an honor the proud priest had not even 
deigned to confer upon royalty itself. Louis XIV., 
on parting, bestowed upon the English ambassador 
his portrait in a costly frame, for himself, and a splen- 
did sword for the Protector ; while Mazarin sent some 
of the richest tapestry of the famous fabric of France 
as a gift to Cromwell. 

The purpose of the alliance between England and 
France was an attack upon the Spanish power in the 
Netherlands, and that purpose was effectively served. 
Cromwell had sent some five thousand of his choicest 
troops, who, being newly armed, and showing by 
their martial bearing the discipline which they had 
acquired as veterans in the civil war, won the admi- 
ration of the King and all his experienced officers. 
Great hope was entertained of them, and it was 
greatly fulfilled. They fought to the death and con- 
quered. All the officers of the regiment, led by 
Lockhart, who was Cromwell's nephew-in-law, and 
his ambassador to France, were killed, with the ex- 
ception of two. Marshal Turenne, who led the 
French, was incessant in his praise of the spirited 
conduct of the English. Dunkirk was won for Eng- 
land by this campaign, and the keys of the citadel 
given up to the English ambassador, in spite of the 
opposition of the French court and army, who covet- 
ed this important possession, and were jealous of the 
power this place gave to the English on the Conti- 
nent. Cardinal Mazarin, who was the chief minister 
14 



314 Oliver Cromwell. 

of Louis XIV., was held responsible for this act, and 
his submission to England gave rise to the witty re- 
mark at Versailles : " The Cardinal is more afraid 
of Oliver than of the devil." 

Cromwell had often said that he would make the 
name of an Englishman as great a£ ever that of a 
Roman had been ; and in this, as in all, his great 
acts responded to his great words. 



CHAPTER XII. 

CROMWELL was in the fullness of his power, 
strong in authority, secure in the establishment 
of order at home, and triumphant in victory over his 
enemies abroad. His well-disciplined veteran army, 
who had been tried in all the experiences of warfare 
but defeat, were firm in fidelity, in spite of factious 
attempts to loosen it, and when their old commander, 
who had always led them to victory, appealed to 
their allegiance, against the treason of his enemies, 
there was not a soldier in the ranks who did not join 
in the loyal acclamation : " We will live and die for 
you." 

The great enemy of Protestant England, Catholic 
Spain, had been humbled by Cromwell, and was* 
compelled to strike her flag at sea and on land, at 
the approach of his dreaded Englishmen. The fer- 
tile island of Jamaica, the stronghold of Dunkirk, 
and the opulent tribute of gold and silver from the 
Spanish possessions of the east and west, had been 
wrested from the might of Spain, and now added to 
the strength, enriched the treasury, and magnified the 



316 Oliver Cromwell 

glory of Cromwell. France had incessantly courted 
an alliance with the Protector, and now congratulated 
itself upon its enjoyment as the greatest honor and 
surest protection. A great victory had been won by 
the allied armies of England and France over Spain, 
and Louis XIV., grateful for the aid of Cromwell, 
sought this occasion to acknowledge his gratitude, 
and do honor to the greatness of the English sove- 
reign. The young King had come with all the splen- 
dor of his court to Calais, within sight of the English 
shore, and would have crossed the channel to pay his 
homage in person to Cromwell, had he not been sud- 
denly seized with the small-pox. He accordingly 
commissioned his nearest in blood, his cousin the 
Duke of Crequi, accompanied by Mancini, the nephew 
of the potent Cardinal Mazarin, and followed by a 
train of French nobles and gentlemen, to bear to the 
Lord- Protector a letter of congratulation upon the 
victory over Spain and the conquest of Dunkirk, 
with assurances of his French Majesty's veneration 
for Cromwell, and his desire to cultivate a perpetual 
friendship with him. The Protector received these 
demonstrations with a magnificence in harmony with 
the splendid homage of the Grand Louis. His son- 
in-law, Fleetwood, was dispatched to Dover, to re- 
ceive the Duke of Crequi on his landing, and to escort 
him to the capital. A train of twenty carriages, to 
each of which were harnessed six horses, and a body- 
guard of two hundred chosen cavalry soldiers, with 



Homage to the Protector. 317 

drawn swords, conducted the ambassador of the 
French monarch to London. The Protector, on the 
public reception of the Duke of Crequi, rose from his 
chair of state, and advancing two steps to meet the 
French ambassador, placed him on his right hand, 
while Richard Cromwell was on the left. 

The people of England were dazzled by the splen- 
dor of their sovereign, to whom great potentates 
sought to honor themselves by doing homage. The 
army proudly shared in the glory of their old leader, 
and with swelling pride, increased in fidelity to Crom- 
well. The Republican leaders were less resistant, 
and disposed to yield to a supremacy that towered 
so high above the level of their theoretical equality. 
It was now the universal belief, that Cromwell might 
wear the crown without opposition, as he wielded the 
sceptre of a king without resistance. 

The scene was, however, suddenly changed. From 
the pomp and ceremony of the French reception, and 
from amidst the acclamations and popular enthusiasm 
of the English people, and while courtiers and friends 
were holding up to his view the glittering splendor 
of an earthly crown, Cromwell was summoned to the 
bedside of a dying child. He hurried to Hampton 
Court, where Lady Claypole, his favorite daughter, 
was suffering the fatal agonies of a mortal disease. 
The sovereign whom Louis XIV. declared the great- 
est and happiest in Europe, was now forgetful of all 
earthly glory, and wholly absorbed in grief and des- 



318 Oliver CromwelL 

pair. " For the last fourteen days," writes his secre- 
tary, Thurlow, " His Highness has been by her bed- 
side at Hampton Court, unable to attend to any 
public business whatever." The disease of Lady 
Claypole was an internal abscess, the pain of which 
was of the most agonizing kind, and burst forth in 
frequent convulsions. WWhile his daughter thus suf- 
fered, Cromwell's heart was sorely wrung, and on 
her death on the 6th August, 1658, which closed the 
scene so trying to a fond father's affection, the Pro- 
tector was so staggered by the blow as never again 
to recover from its severity. He sought consolation, 
however, for his wounded spirit, in those religious 
exercises which he always sincerely enjoyed. He 
was confined to his bed, where he had lain since the 
death of his daughter, from an attack, writes Thur- 
low to Henry Cromwell, " of the gout and other dis- 
tempers contracted by the long sickness of my Lady 
Elizabeth, which made great impression upon him." 
While thus ill, he desired his wife to read to him 
this passage from St. Paul's Epistle to the Philip- 
pians : " Not that I speak in respect of want : for I 
have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to 
be content. I know both how to be abased and I 
know how to abound. Everywhere and by all things 
I am instructed ; both to be full and to be hungry, 
both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all 
things through Christ which strengthened! me." 
When this passage had been read, Cromwell uttered 



Death of his Daughter. 319 

these pathetic words : " This Scripture did once save 
my life, when my eldest son (he alluded to Oliver, 
who had fallen in battle during the civil war) died, 
which ivent as a dagger to my heart, indeed it did" 

This bereavement of his beloved child, Elizabeth, 
following closely upon the loss of his son-in-law, 
young Rich, leaving Cromwell's daughter, Fran- 
ces, a widow at the early age of seventeen, told hea- 
vily against the happiness of the Protector, for his 
affections were closely intertwined in the domestic 
enjoyment of his family. Lady Claypole, who, in 
health, was of a gay and lively temper, cheered her 
father when disturbed by the agitations of his tumult- 
uous life, and her exhilarating society was often 
sought by him as a relief from the pressure of the 
weight of public business. In sickness, however, the 
temper of this beloved daughter became of a severer 
tone, and she is believed to have rebuked with the 
impressiveness of her dying words, some of the more 
violent acts of Cromwell's career, and thus added the 
agony of remorse to the heart-breaking trials of the 
father. 

The Protector revived for a while from the sorrow 
of his affliction and his consequent illness, and was so 
far recovered as to be enabled to give an audience to 
the Dutch ambassador, but was obliged to cut it 
short in consequence of indisposition. Cromwell 
mastered his feelings sufficiently to be present at the 
funeral of Lady Claypole, which took place; with 



320 Oliver Cromwell. 

great pomp at Westminster Abbey. He then re- 
mained some time at the Palace of Whitehall in Lon- 
don, but he speedily returned to his favorite abode 
of Hampton Court. While here, George Fox, the 
founder of the Quakers, had a short interview with 
him, of which he has left this record: "I met him 
riding into Hampton Court Park," says Fox, "and 
before I came to him, as he rode at the head of his 
life-guards, I saw and felt a waft of death go forth 
against him ; and when I came to him he looked like 
a dead man. After I had laid the sufferings of 
Friends before him, and had warned him according 
as I was moved to speak to him, he bade me come 
to his house ; and the next day I went up to Hamp- 
ton Court, to speak further with him ; but when I 
came, Harvey, who was one that waited on him, told 
me the doctors were not willing that I should speak 
with him. So I passed away, and never saw him 
more." In the mean time he had a renewed' attack 
of sickness, which proved to be a severe form of 
ague and fever. 

Cromwell's physicians now counselled a change of 
air, as it was thought his disease was caused by the 
marshes in the neighborhood of Hampton Court. 
He was accordingly removed to Whitehall in the 
city of London. His condition, however, was not 
improved, and his disease increased hourly in sever- 
ity. Having overheard one of his physicians remark 
that his pulse was intermittent, his face turned to a 



His Illness. 321 

deathly paleness, and a cold sweat burst from him in 
a momentary agony of despair. He believed his 
hour had struck, and he sent for his secretary, and 
hurriedly dictated his will. On the following morn- 
ing, however, Cromwell recovered his spirits, and 
observing an expression of sadness upon the face of 
his medical attendant, asked him why he looked so 
sad. The physician replied : " How can I look 
otherwise, with the responsibility of your life upon 
me '?" Upon which the Protector said : " You doc- 
tors think I shall die ;" and then taking the hand of 
his wife, who was at his side, turned towards her, and 
in a firm tone of self-reliance, emphatically ex- 
claimed : " I tell thee I shall not die of this bout ; I 
am sure I shall not. Do not think" (addressing him- 
self to the doctors) " I am mad ; I tell you the truth ; 
I know it from better authority than any from Galen 
or Hippocrates. It is the answer of God himself to 
our prayers ; not to mine alone, but those of others, 
who have a more intimate interest in Him than I 
have. Therefore take courage ; banish sorrow from 
your eyes, and treat me as you would treat a mere 
servant. You can do much by your science; but 
nature can do more than all the doctors in the world, 
and God is infinitely more powerful than nature." 

On the Protector's illness assuming a dangerous 

character, prayers were offered up for his recovery 

in all the churches in London, and at every pious 

fireside in England. The chaplains of the palace and 

14* 



322 Oliver Cromwell. 

its Puritanical inmates had, in the excitement of 
pious ecstasy, believed that they had heard a voice 
from heaven, answering to their prayers, " He will 
recover." Fortified with this fancied revelation from 
God, their hopes of the recovery of Cromwell were 
so far assured, that they declared to the dying man- 
that his safety had been solemnly pledged by Hea- 
ven. His chaplain, Goodwin, no longer prayed for 
his recovery ; for said he, in his pious enthusiasm : 
" O Lord ! that thou hast granted already ; what we 
now beg is his speedy recovery." 

The Protector continued to get worse, and to the 
experienced eyes of his physicians, the shadow of 
death was seen to be gathering over him. Crom- 
well's adherents were accordingly anxious about a 
successor, and Thurlow was urged to mention the 
subject to the Protector. A document had been 
drawn up a year before by Cromwell, in which he 
had named the one to succeed him ; but who it was, 
no one knew ; and the paper now being searched for 
could not be found. It is still a matter of doubt 
whether Cromwell subsequently cleared up the mat- 
ter, although it is believed that he whispered with 
his dying voice, " Richard," in answer to the ques- 
tion, " Whom he wished for successor V 

Cromwell, however, was soon dead to all objects 
of earth, and in the moments of reason intervening 
between the ravings of delirium, was only alive to 
thoughts of heaven. On one such occasion he asked 



Dying. 82o 

his chaplains, Goodwin and Owen, who were con- 
stantly by his bed of sickness, " Whether it was pos- 
sible to fall from grace ?" To their answer it was 
not possible, he replied : " Then I am safe ; for I 
know that I was once in grace." The dying Crom- 
well then turned to the wall, away from his attend- 
ants, and uttered audibly and with great fervor the 
following prayer : " Lord, though I am a miserable 
and wretched creature, I am in covenant with thee 
through grace. And I may, I will come to thee for 
thy people. Thou hast made me, though very un- 
worthy, a mean instrument to do them some good, 
and thee service; and many of them have set too 
high a value upon me, though others wish and would 
be glad of my death. Lord, however thou do dis- 
pose of me, continue and go on to do good for them. 
Give them consistency of judgment-, one heart and 
mutual love; and go on to deliver them, and with 
the work of reformation, and make the name of 
Christ glorious in the world. Teach those who look 
too much on thy instruments, to depend more upon 
thyself. Pardon such as desire to trample upon the 
dust of a poor worm, for they are thy people, too ; 
and pardon the folly of this short prayer, even for 
Jesus Christ's sake. And give us a good night, if it 
be thy pleasure. Amen." It was on the night pre- 
ceding his death when he uttered this prayer, so con- 
fident in the faith, so beaming with the love of the 
Christian, and so elevated by that heavenly charity 



324 Oliver Cromwell. 

which, once breathed into the soul of man, raises 
" himself above himself," and makes him lose all the 
selfishness which the love of life intensely concen- 
trated in the last dying moment, engenders in a 
heart untouched by celestial love. " Lord, however 
thou do dispose of me, continue and go on to do 
good for them." Thus prayed Cromwell for his peo- 
ple in the very agony of death. 

As the night sped on, the Protector grew worse, 
and while he was agitated with the agony of the last 
struggles of life with the conqueror Death, he was 
heard to utter in broken accents: "Truly God is 
good, indeed he is — he will not leave me — I would 
live to be further serviceable to God — but my work 
is done — yet God will be with his people." His 
attendant having offered him some drink, and urged 
him to sleep, Cromwell said : " It is not my design 
to drink or sleep, but make what haste I can to be 
gone." These were his last words, and he sank into 
a deep stupor, from which he never again rallied. 

During this night of Cromwell's agony, a violent 
storm burst over England. London was over- 
whelmed with the tempest, trees were uprooted, 
houses blown down, the streets deluged, and the 
roads so obstructed by the devastation of the coun- 
try round, that all approach to the capital was pre- 
vented. Ludlow, the republican, who had been ban- 
ished from London by the Protector, attempted to 
reach the capital on this night, but was driven to 



Dies. 825 

seek refuge on the road, his coach being unable to 
make headway against the severity of the storm. 
On his arrival next day in the capital, Fleetwood 
went to ask him in behalf of the Protector, the pur- 
pose of his visit. He declared that he was uncon- 
scious of Cromwell's illness, and had only come up 
to see his mother-in-law. Such a night had never 
been before experienced, and amid this crash of the 
elements the great soul of Cromwell was struggling 
in throes of agony with earthly existence, and gain- 
ing its victory over death. The Protector lingered 
until next day in a state of insensibility, and breathed 
his last with one deeply-drawn sigh, in the after- 
noon, between three and four o'clock. 

" Cease to weep," exclaimed the enthusiastic and 
devout chaplain to the mourning attendants ; " you 
have more reason to rejoice. He was your Pro- 
tector here; he will prove a still more powerful 
protector, now that he is with Christ at the right 
hand of the Father." The third of September, 
(1658,) which, being the anniversary of Cromwell's 
victories at Dunbar and Worcester, he always 
termed his fortunate day, was the day of his death. 
He was within seven months of sixty years of age, 
and, from his naturally robust constitution, a much 
longer life might have been anticipated, had it not 
been worn awayby incessant labor, care, and excite- 
ment. 

The great deeds of Cromwell, of which we have 



326 Oliver Cromwell. 

given a conscientious record, render an elaborate 
analysis of his character unnecessary. He was emi- 
nently a practical hero, whose acts, in their massive 
grandeur, exist as everlasting memorials of his great- 
ness. As some huge granite rock rises in a great 
convulsion of nature, from the deepest foundations 
of the earth, and lifts itself, a perpetual monument 
of might, so Cromwell, in the revolution of the state, 
bursts forth from the people, and stands a tower of 
greatness, which will record, for all coming time, the 
power of his genius. 

No one disputes the capacity of Cromwell. He 
was a great soldier, a skillful politician, a compre- 
hensive statesman, and a mighty sovereign. He 
always led his armies to victory ; he guided a revo- 
lution ; he constructed a state ; and he ruled a nation. 
The often-quoted saying of Cromwell, " Trust God 
and keep your powder dry," is the best illustration 
of his public conduct. He was, above all things, a 
practical Englishman. He was no mere theorist. 
Judged by the abstractions of the religious and po- 
litical enthusiasts, he was the most illogical of men. 
He was both a lover of freedom and an arbitrary 
ruler ; he was an Independent in religion, and yet an 
advocate of conformity. Cromwell himself was 
aware of his compulsory inconsistency, and said : " I 
approve the government of a single person as little 
as any, but I was forced to take upon me the office 
of a high-constable, to preserve the peace among the 



Bis Character. 327 

several parties in the nation, since 1 saw that, being 
left to themselves, they would never agree to any 
certain form of government, and would only spend 
their whole power in defeating the designs or de- 
stroying the persons of one another." The practical 
genius of Cromwell led him to adapt himself to the 
emergencies of the times in which he lived. When 
political freedom was lapsing into license, he checked 
it ; when religious independence was maddening into 
profanity, he restricted it. To excite a revolution 
and to subdue it, were the two opposite duties to 
which Cromwell found himself called ; and however 
practically consistent they may be made, it is ques- 
tionable whether they can ever be theoretically re- 
conciled. 

In personal character, Cromwell was gentle, kind, 
and humane. He was strong in his domestic affec- 
tions, firm in his friendships, social with his com- 
panions, forgiving towards his enemies. He was 
constantly respectful and affectionate in his bearing 
towards his wife, although there have been some to 
declare that Lady Dysart and Mrs. Lambert were 
rivals of the Protectress in the affections of Crom- 
well. His children he always cherished with the 
most tender paternal regard ; and his personal 
attendants he treated more as friends than servitors. 
His soldiers were proud of him, and spoke of their 
leader with the familiarity of affection, whom they 
called "Old Noll." In religion. Cromwell was a 



328 Oliver Cromwell. 

sincere enthusiast, and although he did much in miti- 
gating the severity of religious persecution, was 
not, as his cruelty towards the Catholics in Ireland 
proves, always superior to the bigotry of his age. 

Cromwell was not, although occasionally indulging 
in bursts of rude humor, the coarse-mannered man 
he has been represented. His court was remark- 
able for its dignity and refinement ; and his bearing 
towards the dignitaries of his own government, and 
towards the ambassadors from foreign nations, was 
always stately and becoming. Cromwell was not 
unmindful of the refining influence of learning and 
the arts. He himself had spent a year at Cam- 
bridge, and although the duties of practical life had 
early drawn him from the contemplative studies of 
the academic retreat, he acknowledged the claims of 
the learned, and cherished the English universities 
with constant favor. He laid aside his political pre- 
judices in his encouragement of literature and lite- 
rary men, and not only warmly favored his parti- 
sans, Milton, Marvel, and Waller, but generously 
protected his enemies, Denham, Cudworth, Hobbes, 
Usher, and Cowley. 

We may appropriately close our history with the 
brilliant summary of the career of Cromwell by the 
last-mentioned poet. We might protest against 
Cowley's low estimate of the Protector, did not the 
poet's own lofty record of the hero's great deeds vin- 
dicate the greatness of Cromwell's genius. 



Cowley's Estimate. 329 

" What can be more extraordinary," says Cowley, 
" than that a person of mean birth, no fortune, no 
eminent qualities of body, which have sometimes, or 
of mind, which have often, raised men to the highest 
dignities, should have the courage to attempt, and 
the happiness to succeed in, so improbable a design 
as the destruction of one of the most ancient and 
most solidly-founded monarchies upon earth; that 
he should have the power or boldness to put his 
prince and master to an open and infamous death ; 
to banish that numerous and strongly-allied family ; 
to do all this under the name and wages of a parlia- 
ment ; to trample upon them, too, as he pleased, and 
spurn them out of doors when he grew weary of 
them ; to raise up a new and unheard-of monster out 
of their ashes ; to stifle that in the very infancy, and 
to set up himself above all things that ever were 
called sovereign in England ; to oppress all his ene- 
mies by arms, and all his friends afterwards by arti- 
fice ; to serve all parties patiently for awhile, and to 
command them victoriously at last ; to overrun each 
corner of the three nations, and overcome with equal 
facility both the riches of the south and the poverty 
of the north ; to be pleased and courted by all foreign 
princes, and adopted a brother to the gods of the 
earth ; to call together parliaments with a word of 
his pen, and scatter them again with the breath of 
his mouth; to be humbly and daily petitioned that 
he would be pleased to be hired at the rate of two 



330 Oliver Cromwell 

millions a year, to be the master of those that hired 
him before to be their servant ; to have the estates 
and lives of three kingdoms as much at his disposal 
as was the little inheritance of his father, and to be 
as noble and liberal in spending, them ; and lastly, 
(for there is no end of all the particulars of his 
glory,) to bequeath all these with one word to his 
posterity ; to die with peace at home and prosperity 
abroad ; to be buried among kings and with more 
than regal solemnity ; and to leave a name behind 
him not to be extinguished but with the whole world, 
which, as it is not too little for his praises, so might 
have been too for his conquests, if the short line of 
his human life could have been stretched out to the 
extent of his immortal designs." 



THE 



rams on mm 



OR 



FACT AND POETEY 

OF 

t 

Italian fife, f tatetefattir ^ligian. 

BY ROBERT TURNBUIL, B.D., 

Author of "Genius of Scotland," "Christ in History," &c, &c. 

FOURTH REVISED AND ILLUSTRATED EDITION, 

"%7V ± -t 3a. &, si -A- ppendix, 

CONTAINING 

SKETCHES OF MAZZINI, GAVAZZ1, 

AND OTHER CELEBRATED ITALIANS. 
Price, $1.00. Gilt, $1.25. 



' Dr. Turnbull gives us the orange groves, and the fountains, and the gondola.*, 
and the frescoes, and the ruins, with touches of personal adventure and sketches 
of biography, and glimpses of the life, literature, and religion of modern Italy, 
seen with the quick, comprehensive glances of an American traveller, impulsive, 
inquisitive, and enthusiastic." — Literary World. 

" At a moment when Italy is about to be regenerated, when the long-standing 
spirit of the people is about assuming its ancient vigor, a work of this kind is 
desirable. The country, its people, and its prominent features, are given with 
much truth and force." — Democratic Review. 

1 The title of this book hardly does justice to its rich and varied contents. It 
gives genial sketches of the literature and literary men of Italy, past and present, 
taking up city after city, describing each place in order, and then noticing both 
its political and literary history. It contains, moreover, an account of Pius IX.. 
with two very judicious chapters upon the present condition and prospects of the 
Papacy, and of Italian liberty. It is not only a very pleasant book, but a useful 
and instructive one." — Methodist Quarterly Review. 

JAMES S. DICKERSON, 

Publisher, New York. 



HARRY'S VACATION. 

BY 

W. C. RICHARDS, A.M., 

Fditor of the Schoolfellow Magazine. 

One Volume, Cloth, Illustrated. Price, Si. 00. 

Third Edition. 

" The design of this book is oxcellent, and it has been executed -with much 
s"kill. It seeks to give information on scientific subjects and the philosophy of 
things, by means of a story which is artfully constructed and pleasantly related. 
As a gift book for the young people, it will be very profitable, as well as amus- 
ing." — N. Y. Observer. 

" ' Harry's Vacation ' is a standard book for holidays, and for all times. Its 
moral is pure and high, and it is filled with curious and interesting information, 
from which the old as well as the young may derive profit and pleasure." — 
Evening Mirror. 

" Foremost amongst them is ' Harry's Vacation,' by W. C. Eichards, A.M. "We 
like it. It is one of the old fashioned sort of story-books, whose aim is to combine 
instruction with amusement. A couple of school-boys spend their holidays in the 
country at the house of Dr. Sinclair, the father of one of them, and pass their 
time agreeably enough in listening to the old gentleman's illustrations of his favor- 
ite science, Chemistry. He does not lecture prosily and learnedly like a professor ; 
but contrives to interest the young folks by the discussion of some off-hand topic, 
such as the frost on the window-panes, or the dropping of a plate from the hand 
of a careless servant. "We are not in favor of cramming the child-mind with 
much learned lore ; but we can readily commend this affair of Harry's ; it is so 
pleasantly written, and with such a home-like thread of story running through 
it" — Albion. 

JAMES S. DICKERSON, 

Publisher, New- York. 



BIOGRAPHIES 



HEKOES OF HISTOEY, 



REV. E. 1. HAWKES, D.D., LL.D. 

m UNIFORM 16mo volumes, neatly PRINTED AND ILLUSTRATED "WITH 
SPIRITED ENGRAVINGS. 

The following Biographies are nearly ready: 

I. RICHARD THE LION-HEARTED 
II. SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 

III. OLIVER CROMWELL. 

IV. SIR WILLIAM WALLACE AND ROBERT BRUCE. 
V. EDWARD THE BLACK PRINCE. 

The Publishers in announcing this series of Biographies of men whose 
heroic deeds have been the fruitful theme of Song and Eomance, from the 
days in which they lived unto the present time, and whose names will ever 
stand prominent on the pages of history, feel assured that the name of the 
Eev. Dr. Ha wees, who will either write or edit the whole of the series, is a 
sufficient pledge that each Biography, although written in a style to attract 
and interest the young, will, with a strict regard to historical truth, be the 
means of impressing on the mind of the reader the dry details of history, and 
thus prove both instructive and fascinating. 

DTCKERSON, Publisher 

697 Broad wav New- York. 



ptpfi % Jbn-parfei ; 



THE FIRST IN THE SERIES 



ROMANTIC BIOGRAPHIES 

TO BE EDITED BY TIIE 

KEY. F. L. HAWKS, DD., LL.D. 

ONE VOL., CLOTH. ILLXTSTEATED BY 

SIX BEAUTIFUL ENGKAVINGS, 

FROM ORIGINAL DESIGNS BY THWAITES. 

75 Cents. Gilt, Si. 

THIRD EDITION. 

" It is a charming narrative of the exploits of Eichard Cceur de Lion ; spirited, 
clear, and most agreeable in style ; handsomely illustrated, and printed in very 
readable type. Such books can not fail to ba popular.— .Boston Transcript. 

" Mr. Dickerson, the publisher, of Broadway, sends us several pleasant volumes, 
foremost of which is a dashing account of the Life of Eichard Cceur de Lion, an 
original copy-right work, written with great point and spirit. It belongs to that 
favorite school of reading with the young, represented by Sir "Walter Scott's ' Tales 
of a Grandfather.' " — 2f. T. Churchman. 

"It contains a brilliant narrative of Eichard the Lion-Hearted, divested as far 
as possible of the political history of his reign, and written with a view to the in- 
struction and improvement of the young. The name of the Eev. Dr. Hawks is a 
satisfactory guarantee of the unexceptionable character of the work ; the illustra- 
tions are numerous and spirited."— iV; y. Commercial Advertiser. 

JAMES S. DICKEBSON, 

Publisher, New- York. 



HOME LIFE: 

BEING 

TWELVE LECTURES 

BY 

EEV. WILLIAM HAGUE, D.D. 

Price, $1. Gilt, $1.25. 

SECOND EDITION. 

The following is the Table of Contents, and will indicate the 
character and scope of the book : 

Lecture I.— The Marriage Institution. 

Lecture II. — Duties of the Husband. 

Lkcture III. — Duties of the Wife. 

Lecture IV. — Duties of Parents to Children. 

Lecture V. — Duties of Children to Parents-. 

Lecture VI. — Duties of Brothers and Sisters. 

Lecture VII. — Mutual Duties of How. eholders and Servants. 

Lecture VIII. — Duties of Principals to Clerks and Apprentices. 

Lecture IX. — Duties of Young Men to their Employers. 

Lecture X. — The Use and Abuse of Amusements. 

Lecture XL— The Family Library. 

Lecture XII. — The Self- Governed Man. 

The classical elegance and simplicity of the style, and the warmth 
and naturalness of the eloquence of these Lectures, justify the great 
favor with which they were delivered, and mark the present volume 
as a valuable and popular contribution to our literature. 



"The times demand, just such a work as is here produced for the family, shed- 
ding a hallowed light on home, promoting discipline, inspiring affection, fostering 
the social virtues, and preparing for a steady, strong, and salutary influence in all 
the varied walks of society. We think of no man better qualified for the great 
and responsible task than Dr. Hague."— Christian Chronicle. 

"To many of our citizens the Pev. William Hague is too well known to require 
at our hands any recommendation of whatever issues from his pen. But we can 
not forbear calling the attention of those less acquainted with his peculiar merits 
as a writer, to an admirable book called 'Home Life,' which bears his name as 
author, recently published in New-York." — Boston Transcript. 

" These Lectures are an honor to the Christian literature of our country. They 
are written in a style of great beauty, abound in striking thoughts, are eminently 
practical in their bearing, and are fitted to guard the best interests of the young, 
and to give increased intensity and elevation" to the joys of the Christian home." — 
Albany Argus. 

JAMES S. DICKEBSON, 

Publisher, New- York. 



